LAHARPE — Infrastructure, budget measures and finding ways to grow the community were constant themes Monday as LaHarpe City Council hopefuls shared their views.
A trio of Council candidates — incumbents Austin Lee and Danny Ware Jr. and challenger Angela Barker — joined Mayor Mae Crowell in front of a crowd of about 15 residents for the LaHarpe PRIDE-sponsored event.
They spent more than an hour discussing their philosophies regarding city matters and fielding questions on a host of issues.
Voters will go to the polls next Tuesday to decide which two of the Council candidates will serve for the next four years. Crowell is unopposed in her mayoral bid.
Of note, Craig Trester also is running as a write-in candidate for the City Council. He, too, was invited to the forum but did not attend.
Many shared similar thoughts on the city’s biggest needs, many of which centered on infrastructure improvements, most notably the city’s aging sewer lines.
A synopsis of their platforms follows:
ANGELA BARKER
Barker, who works as a teller at Bank of Gas, is running for elective office for the first time.
She’s lived in LaHarpe for the past 13 years.
“I’m trying to look out for the citizens and do what’s best for them, for all of us,” she said.
She advocates for a proactive Council that will tackle infrastructure issues sooner rather than later. By postponing repairs or upgrades, it puts LaHarpe in a bind further down the road, and likely more expensive remedies needed.
She pointed to the aging sewer system as an example, which engineers have described as failing, and likely has been for several years.
A full upgrade is pegged at $1.4 million, so the Council has utilized Kansas Department of Health and Environment loans, and continues to apply for grants to alleviate the costs. Customers also have incurred hefty rate hikes in recent months as part of the process.
“We’ve got to keep up on the maintenance, and not let it just keep getting dragged out,” Barker said, “And then we’re in this situation 25 years later, where we’re paying high bills.”
