Council field a talented one
Published 11:53 am Friday, September 24, 2010
Perhaps Monroe’s rapid growth over the past decade has deepened its pool of leadership talent. Maybe it’s something in the air or water.
Whatever the reason, the candidates in this fall’s three contested races for the Monroe City Council comprise the most impressive group from that city in memory. Voters will choose from among intelligent, well-qualified, passionate hopefuls in all three races. Given the serious challenges facing the city — traffic congestion, funding basic services during a recession-fueled revenue crunch, finishing the stalled North Kelsey commercial development — that’s welcome news.
In the race for Position 1, we endorse council member Kurt Goering, who currently fills the at-large position. Since joining the council in 2007, Goering has put his private-sector and urban-planning experience to use by working for more efficient operations, improved customer service at City Hall and tighter fiscal responsibility. He says a series of bad decisions over the years — including the city’s direct involvement in real estate development at North Kelsey — has led to the current budget problems. He vows to ensure they’re not repeated.
Monroe Chamber of Commerce President Katy Woods is Goering’s opponent. She’s intimately familiar with the needs of local businesses and professes no political agenda — just a passion to serve. We believe her, but think Goering’s skills and grasp of issue details are needed on the council.
Patsy Cudaback, director of the Monroe YMCA, gets our endorsement for Position 2, which is being vacated by Geoffrey Thomas. She’s smart and energetic, and has clearly done her homework on city issues. Her infectious enthusiasm would be a welcome addition to the council, and could even spark greater citizen involvement. She suggests having council members go door-to-door on a monthly basis in an outreach effort to keep citizens informed. That’s a tall order, but we’d like to see her push it.
Cudaback faces longtime civic activist R. Todd Fredrickson, who we endorsed four years ago in an unsuccessful bid to unseat former council member Ken Berger. We continue to admire his passion and integrity. This time around, however, we believe Cudaback brings more to the table.
Position 3 is also an open seat, vacated by Mitch Ruth, who ran for mayor in the primary but didn’t advance to the general election. We recommend former council member Jeff Frye, who left the council in 2007 after moving just outside the city limits, but became eligible again after his neighborhood was annexed.
Frye’s commitment to public service is reflected in his previous six years on the council, the past two years on the planning commission, and service as a fire commissioner. He has a deep institutional memory, and advocates taking advantage of the good planning that has taken place in recent years and moving forward on a pared-down transportation plan he thinks citizens will support.
Frye is opposed by businessman Tom Williams, who moved to Monroe in 2005 and brings a business-focused approach to the race. He believes the city “is not open for business,” saying more should be done to make it easier for businesses to succeed. Frye counters that the city has done much in that area, like in waiving certain mitigation fees, but that the city needs to communicate that better.
In the race for mayor, incumbent Donnetta Walser was endorsed in the primary over Robert Zimmerman, the challenger who advanced along with her to the general election ballot. Walser remains our recommendation in the general.
