Candidates share ideas in forum
All six candidates for Yuma City Council shared their ideas regarding city issues at a candidate forum sponsored by the Colorado River Tea Party Thursday evening.
Moderator Howard Blitz of The Freedom Library asked each of the candidates the same questions submitted by a “variety of people with varied interests.”
The candidates were first asked to explain their experience with agriculture, military and/or small business. Ken Rosevear, retired executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, said that while he lived in Imperial Valley, he was part of the farm bureau and worked on an ag advisory board. Also, while running a car dealership, he got to know many farmers in the area. In Yuma, he was also involved with the local farm bureau and traveled many times to Washington, D.C., to talk about agriculture and immigration issues. He also oversaw
construction of the Yuma Armed Forces Park, he said.
Karen Watts, a nurse practitioner and business owner, said she provides health care to many field workers, military members, veterans and their families. She has several family members who have served in the military and her sonin-law is still active.
Retired Yuma Police Department Officer Gregory Counts said he has worked in the herbicide and pesticides industry, servicing the local agriculture fields. He served in the Navy and took part in the Desert Shield and Desert Storm campaigns. Although he has never owned a small business, he got to know many entrepreneurs while conducting investigations as a police officer and understands their issues.
Deputy Mayor Gary Knight, the only incumbent in this race, ran his own marine and supply business in Yuma for many years until his retirement. He also got to know many farmers during his years in business. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam era but was never shipped there.
Former councilor Leslie McClendon said several close family members have worked in the ag industry picking fruit, starting with her grandfather. Several of her family members have also served in the military. She is familiar with business because she and her husband own a small entertainment company.
Kristina Rojas-McNair, a manager at Yuma Regional Medical Center, said she was the child of a field worker. After her father immigrated to the U.S., he worked in the fields and eventually became a site manager, raising his children to be hard workers. She is also the “proud wife” of a Marine veteran and they have had “quite a bit” of exposure to the local military bases. While they don’t own a business, she is a huge supporter of local businesses.
The candidates were then asked to explain their experience with multi-million dollar budgets. Counts said he worked with $13 millionto 14-million budgets as a sergeant and lieutenant and had to deal with the costs of “everything, from bullets to putting bodies on the street.”
Knight said his business gave him some experience with budgets, but being on the council has been an “eyeopener.” After four years on the council, he knows more about what to look for and where to look. He said the city budget is complicated and challenging but he has enjoyed working with it.
Aside from her small business, McClendon noted that by serving on the council she learned how trying to find funds to run everything is a challenge. During her tenure, the council “really dove” into the budget department by department and she would like for that process to return. She’s in favor of not rushing the process but rather asking those “hard questions” in order to be efficient and spend wisely.
McNair said the budget is the primary reason she decided to run for council. At YRMC, she is responsible for the budgets of several departments and also reviews the hospital’s entire $300 million budget. She doesn’t believe in taking last year’s numbers and simply bringing them into the new year. She would like every year to start fresh. She also believes in planning ahead, which comes from years of experience.
Rosevear said he spent his whole career working with multi-million dollar budgets and has taken businesses near bankruptcy to making millions of dollars. He believes there is a lot of room for improvement in the city budget.
Watts noted that although she hasn’t worked with multi-million dollar budgets, she would use her skills as a nurse to listen and gather information from the public, take time to understand the budget and ask the experts what she needs to know. She said she is used to making difficult decisions.
All six candidates agreed that police and fire departments are not adequately funded. They lamented that Yuma has become a training ground for new recruits, who then go on to bigger cities. They agreed that funds need to be found to make their pay competitive and therefore retain them in Yuma. Counts suggested having new recruits sign a contract in order to retain them longer. Knight noted that the city had brought up their pay scale as much as it could, stopping the mass loss of police officers, but he noted that Yuma will never be able to pay as much as the big communities but they would have a better lifestyle here.
The candidates were asked how they would stop the annual loss of money at the city’s golf course. The candidates agreed that they liked the ideas proposed by the new manager and want to give him a chance to turn things around. If that didn’t work out, they are in favor of looking into privatization.
The candidates were also asked how the city budget process can be more effective and efficient. Knight said there was misinformation about the “rushed” budget process, which actually started in January and was discussed at several meetings until it was adopted in May, giving the council four months to pour over it.
McClendon said she didn’t like that the council discussed the budget in a retreat and feels that it should take place in a more public forum. She wants each department head to come before the council to discuss it.
McNair said the citizens committee needs to get the budget in January to give members adequate time to review it and provide feedback.
Rosevear said he did not like that the council discussed the budget at work sessions but the public is not allowed to speak. By the time the public is allowed to speak at a regular meeting, the council members have “pretty much already made up their minds,” he said.
Watts also agreed that the city needs more feedback from the community so the council can vote accordingly because the budget is the “most important thing” they will do as council members.
Counts concurred that citizens should be given more time to review the budget and noted that the process really takes the entire year.
The candidates were asked what action they would take if there was a “feeling of no confidence” in the city administrator.
Watts called it a serious problem that would have to be dealt with if the entire council was in agreement. “We would need to make that tough decision and hire a new city administrator,’ she said.
As a “law and order guy,” Counts said he would first want a complete investigation done, calling it a “pretty heavy charge.” He would need evidence to back up the charge and would want the investigation done with due diligence.
Knight said that if the council was unanimous, they would have to investigate the charges and allow the administrator to decide whether he wanted a private or public hearing since personnel issues are discussed in executive session.
McClendon said that if the administrator was not living up to standards then he should be given the opportunity to resign. However, she noted that it’s the council who directs the policies that the administrator handles.
McNair expressed concern with a lack of confidence based on a “feeling” rather than facts. He said the administrator must have clear guidelines and objectives and if he is not living up to those standards, then the necessary steps can be taken.
Rosevear concurred that it’s up to the council to demand accountability, likening the position of administrator to a CEO who oversees 900 employees.
The candidates were asked if they were in favor of the University of Yuma. Most candidates said they did not have enough information to make a decision, but some questioned whether it was really needed with the educational institutions already in place. However, they agreed that the blighted area does need to be revitalized.