LAHARPE — Iola isn’t the only community with a hotly contested city election.
LaHarpe is sporting a race of six candidates vying for two seats. A third seat, vacated by Gerald Clay shortly after the filing deadline, also will be filled after the new council members are seated. Existing council members indicated they would use the election results to appoint Clay’s replacement.
The candidates are Clayton Carr, Ella Mae and Randy Crowell, Savannah Flory, Don Gay and Ruth Jackson.
CLAYTON CARR sees two areas of dire need in LaHarpe.
“I’m embarrassed because of our streets, and I’m disappointed with how slowly they’ve been upgrading our electric” system, Carr said.
The upgrade of LaHarpe’s electric system is a sore spot, Carr conceded, because it has prevented him from reinstalling electric outlets at the RV park he and his wife, Cynthia, own in LaHarpe.
“There’s not much point in doing it now, when the electricity is still iffy,” he said.
And LaHarpe’s crumbling streets are certain to prevent the city from attracting new businesses or homeowners.
“Who would want to build here?” he asked. “We have to do something. I can remember when LaHarpe had gravel that they just sprayed with oil and chat. That’s better than what we have here now.”
As an aside, Cynthia Carr is running unopposed for mayor.
“We don’t agree on everything,” Clayton Carr said, adding that his primary concern when at council meetings would be to serve the city.
“I care as much as anybody about what happens to our town,” he said. “And I can be vocal about it. I’m out for the little guy.”
ELLA MAE CROWELL got a bird’s-eye view of some of LaHarpe’s most pressing concerns recently when she was briefly appointed as the city’s animal control and code enforcement officer.
“It really got me interested in learning about the city’s codes and how they affect the people.”
Crowell left her position last June when the city hired a part-time police officer, who also was assigned to handle animal control and code enforcement.
She now works for USD 257’s Food Service Department.
“LaHarpe is a small town with an older population,” she said. “I think our biggest issue is trying to get younger families to want to move here.
“There’s a lot to be done,” she continued. “Our streets could use a lot of improvement.”
And, based on her prior experience as code enforcement officer, she sees plenty of properties that need to be cleaned. Many decaying homes are in various stages of demolition.
“I understand it takes money and time to get these demolished, and people only have so much money and time to clean their properties,” she said, “but it’s something that must be done.”
RANDY CROWELL, a computer programmer for Broyles, Inc. of Humboldt, is a lifelong LaHarpe resident. He’s also Ella Mae Crowell’s husband.
“I’m sure there will be areas we don’t agree on,” he said. “There already are.”
He, too, became familiar with some of LaHarpe’s property cleanup issues while his wife was the code enforcement officer.
“We just need to make sure the properties we have already are cleaned and maintained,” he said. “Some of our roads need to be improved. Some of ditches need to be fixed, too.”
Randy Crowell vowed to ensure LaHarpe remains vigilant and efficient when considering city projects.
“We have to see what’s available” in the budget for various improvements, he said. “For a city this size, we have to decide what’s best for the community, then plan for it so it will happen.”
The Crowells also have a keen eye on animal control. All of their dogs and cats came from animal shelters or homes in which they were abused.
SAVANNAH FLORY, at 26, would be the youngest city council member. But she also would have the most experience in one way.
“I think I’ve been to nearly every meeting over the past three years,” she said.
Flory, owner of TLC Garden Center, has been active with LaHarpe PRIDE and serves as a liaison between the council and PRIDE and at times with the LaHarpe Days Committee.
“I have a pretty good idea of the issues facing the city and I wanted to get involved,” she said.
Flory has seen the city take small steps to expand its tax base, such as offering property tax abatements to those who improve their homes or build in LaHarpe.
“Within a couple of years, I’d like to see us put into our budget enough to hire a full-time law enforcement officer,” she said. “We had one before. There’s no reason we can’t have one again.”
Hiring an officer and continuing the city’s plans to clean up dilapidated properties will help improve the city’s image, Flory said.
“With those things, we can grow,” she said.
DONALD GAY, in speaking about his candidacy, noted LaHarpe’s small-town charm.
“I like the city’s openness,” he said. “Everybody knows everybody.”
But with that small-town charm, the city should remain active in attracting new residents and businesses, Gay said.
When the city takes on a project, it should remain committed to seeing the work done as expediently as possible, he contended.
“Let’s not dawdle,” he said. “There is too much ‘let’s wait until next year’ with some things.”
First and foremost — the streets.
“They definitely need a little work,” he said.
Gay is retired from the military and now works at Orscheln Farm & Home in Iola.
RUTH JACKSON twice has run for city office, most recently as a write-in mayoral candidate. She lost narrowly to former mayor Wayne Turner by 10 votes.
She promises accountability and accessibility to LaHarpe’s voters.
“I want people to know they are welcome to talk to me if they have a concern or a complaint,” she said. “If there’s an answer I don’t know, I’ll find out.”
Jackson sees the city’s streets as LaHarpe’s biggest issue.
“If we have to fix them one street at a time, or one block at a time, we need to do it,” she said.
Jackson currently works with Hope Unlimited in Iola through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program.
She also served one of the staunchest supporters for the getting the LaHarpe Public Library in place. She vows as a council member to help make the library a city jewel.
“The volunteers did a great job of getting the library up and going,” she said. “We need to work with the volunteers so it remains accessible to the public.”
