LAHARPE — Candidates seeking a seat on the LaHarpe City Council focused on the city’s declining population, lack of law enforcement and infrastructure improvements as they spoke to a small crowd Monday during a meet-the-candidates forum.
With Election Day rapidly approaching on Nov. 4, incumbents Cynthia Karr, Ron Knavel Sr. and Sharlyn Thompson were joined by challengers Harry Lee Jr. and Kendra Michael at Monday’s forum, hosted by the LaHarpe PRIDE Committee. Challenger Craig Trester was absent. The top three vote-getters will earn Council seats.
Each of the five shared their views on myriad topics, and what they believed should receive top billing.
A random draw dictated the order in which the candidates introduced themselves and then tackled a series of questions.
Harry Lee Jr.
Lee is no stranger to local elective politics, having served both as a LaHarpe councilman and mayor and USD 257 school board member.
His priority is to seek ways to stem LaHarpe’s population decline, by incentivizing residents and businesses to relocate or build anew in LaHarpe.
“We need to improve our tax base,” he said. “The things that are needing done are going to cost money. And unless we have a better tax base, we’re going to struggle to find the resources,” which essentially puts a higher burden on fewer taxpayers.
On top of that, Lee said the city should ensure its utility payment structure is working properly, with funds going to the appropriate departments.
“The city ought to be managed like a business,” Lee said. “We need to make sure our revenues and our expenses are justified.”
He also spoke about improving “the quality of the community” by better adhering to building and nuisance codes.
Kendra Michael
Michael is a first-time candidate, having lived in LaHarpe since 2010.
Her top priority would be to see LaHarpe once again hire a police chief.
“I’ve seen the decline since we’ve lost our cop, and it’s a pretty tremendous decline.”
Code enforcement should also get a higher priority, Michael said.
She wondered if the city could set up more regular cleanup days.
