LaHarpe hopefuls sound off on issues

LAHARPE — Seven of the eight candidates for public office in LaHarpe sounded off Monday on a variety of issues, from local code enforcement issues to ways to attract new business.
The candidates appeared as part of a public forum hosted by LaHarpe PRIDE.
Appearing were mayoral candidates Cynthia Carr, the incumbent, and challengers Mae Crowell and Lloyd Wayne Turner. Four of the five City Council candidates were incumbent Savannah Flory, and Don Knavel Sr., David Lee and Danny Ware. Candidate Don Gay was absent.
Brief synopses of the candidates follow:
MAYOR
CYNTHIA CARR, incumbent, was elected to the City Council in 2003, then appointed mayor in 2010. She co-owns Jayhawker RV Park with her husband, Clayton.
“This is a small community (population 561). Everybody knows each other and helps each other. We have to be patient to get good things. We’re working on our electric (system), our streets. The 1 percent sales tax will help get the streets in good shape. We’re putting our parks together.
“I’m aware of many of the happenings, whether it be duties of city clerk, superintendent, maintenance worker and police officer. I understand ordinances and transactions we’ve been involved in. I spent time crunching numbers when we thought we were going to have a utility increase.” (Fixing the error prevented the increase, because residents now pay higher base charges.)

LLOYD WAYNE Turner has served as mayor previously and praised LaHarpe’s low utility rates, which he said are competitive with any town in the area.
“I look for people to call me and ask me if they can have something done. I’m a people person. When they had electricity go out, I’d go out and make sure guys had help. I’d be on call 24 hours a day, because I like people.
“My only objective, we’ve been lax on our ordinances the last 10 to 12 years. We have people with three or four cars and junk in their yards. We need to get our ordinances back into order to clean up our town.
“I don’t understand why we hired two policemen out of another city and we’re not getting the benefit.”

MAE CROWELL has served on the council the past four years. Previously, she owned and operated Mae’s Short Stop in Gas for 17 years. She also worked for more than a year as LaHarpe’s code enforcement and animal control officer.
“LaHarpe’s greatest challenge is drawing people here, and getting people who live here to have pride in LaHarpe.
“I like to look at both sides of an issue before I make a decision. Sometimes you don’t have that option and you do the best you can.
“A lot of people don’t realize we’ve had issues the last nine months with vandalism in our park and our gym. Code enforcement needs to be number one, but with problems we’re having now, law enforcement can’t be too far behind.”

CITY COUNCIL
SAVANNAH FLORY is finishing her first four-year term on city council. She has worked at TLC Garden Center and Flory’s Flowers the past nine years, the last four as owner.
“We are a small town and close-knit. You still get the small-town feel people like. Suitable housing is our greatest challenge.
“Our streets have been bad. Luckily we did get the sales tax passed to help fund improvements. The city is like a business. You need to have enough revenue to cover expenses.
“I play devil’s advocate a lot, and try to look at all sides of an issue, and not just the side I originally support.
“Part of our problems with code enforcement is our police officer is serving overseas now. We have two temporary/part-time officers who can’t work on enforcement much.”

RON KNAVEL SR. has served on the council for 12 years.
“The city needs to look at how much it costs to bring in businesses, and if we can afford it. We have a lot of houses we tear down, but nobody replaces them. There are a lot of empty lots.
“I was on the council for 12 years, been through three mayors and half a dozen council members.
“My main objective, hopefully, everybody can work together for the future of our town. LaHarpe is dying. We lose businesses and lose houses. We have to work together as a group with people of the community. Everybody has to get involved to get a way to get our town started and growing again.”

DAVID LEE is a lifelong LaHarpe resident. He’s a past council member, serving the city for 12 years. He’s also served on the USD 257 Board of Education and the Allen Community College Board of Trustees.
“LaHarpe is blessed with its own utilities. Assets are also things, if we’re not careful, can be negatives. Our challenge is our dwindling tax base. I’m not necessarily comfortable with the plan for LaHarpe. Looking at our future, I don’t see a plan.
“I, too, am a problem-solver. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. I’d like to think I bring a common sense approach to things.
“We’re lacking in code enforcement. For whatever reason. We need to fix it before we can get people to come. We need to talk to the right people and talk about how we develop a plan, not for 30, 60, 90, 120 days out, but how to develop a plan for five years, 10 years, 15 years down the road.
“The city council has the power to make things happen, not wish things would happen.”

DANNY WARE JR. is an Iola transplant, moving to LaHarpe about three years ago. He’s owned his own construction business for 22 years.
“Our biggest challenge is improving our infrastructure. If you don’t have infrastructure, you’re not going to have growth. A house is only as strong as its foundation.
“Decisions you make now may pay off 25 years from now. If you’re not growing, you’re dying. Even if you’re only moving six inches at a time, you’re still moving.
“I’d love to see business come to town. Whether anybody admits it or not, the county is dying. The towns are dying. Gas, Iola. Thank God Humboldt has Joe Works. If they didn’t, Humboldt would be in the same shape.
“People are tired of looking at everybody’s junk. You guys are paying Allen County taxes for LaHarpe property. You’re not going to sell your house for what you’re paying taxes. You’re being over-charged. It’s ripping off the people of LaHarpe.”

VOTERS WILL choose LaHarpe’s next mayor and its next two council members at the April 7 general election.