Meet Yuma City Council Candidate Edward C. Thomas
The Yuma Sun is publishing question-and-answer profiles of each candidate running in the Yuma City Council primary. Yuma voters will head to the polls on Aug. 27 to fill two open council seats and one municipal judge seat in the primary election. Early voting begins July 31.
NAME: Edward C. Thomas AGE: 54 FAMILY: Married with two adult sons
EMPLOYMENT: City councilman POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: 8 years as a City of Yuma city councilman
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? WHAT IN YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES HELPS QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS SEAT?
I have served nearly six years in the U.S. Army and nearly 16 years in the U.S. Marines; retired from the Marine Corps in 2005.
My past experiences in the Marine Corps have shown me what leadership is and what leadership is not. I have family members who are business owners and I spend many hours working with their businesses and discussing business ideas with them. Consequently, I understand leadership, I understand how to work under pressure, and I understand business.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DUTY OF THIS OFFICE?
According to the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, the first job of government is the protection of its citizens as well as to provide for the general welfare of its citizens. I firmly believe that.
IF ELECTED, WHAT IS THE ONE ISSUE ON WHICH YOU WOULD FOCUS TO IMPROVE YUMA’S QUALITY OF LIFE?
There are many areas a council member has to concern themselves with, so focusing on one issue, I believe, will shortchange our community. As a council member we must continue to provide public safety for our citizens as well as for those who visit our great city. We must continue to focus on remaining business-friendly, which will continue to attract new businesses and families. Growing our tax base is also key, and we must continue to ensure that we remain transparent and accountable. Finally, we must be effective and efficient with our taxpayer dollars.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING YUMA RIGHT NOW?
The challenges facing our city, I believe are many, and I list just a few. First, providing for the safety of our citizens. This is important as we need to keep our public safety personnel, as well as non-public safety personnel, who are equally important and help with the daily operations of our city. We also need to tackle the issue of our aging roads, which is paramount, while expanding our tax base.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO, IF ELECTED, TO HELP CHANGE THAT?
Passage of the public safety pay plan and first half of the Labor Market Study is an excellent start in addressing public safety concerns and remaining city personnel. We need to remain business-friendly so that our city can attract new businesses, which will help our city expand its tax base. Concerning our roads, we have to continue talks and work with our state representatives and governor to ensure all HURF monies due our city, actually come to our city, and not siphoned to other areas within the state budget.
WHAT DO YOU WANT VOTERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I’ve started bowling and you wouldn’t believe how much there is to learn. I’m also learning how to play the tenor saxophone and enjoy golfing very much. Moreover, we are appreciative that our citizens have allowed us to represent them. We’re also extremely proud to help problem-solve the many issues our city faces as we move forward. We care for and love our great city, want what’s best for our great city, and believe that together, our future will only become brighter.