Meet Your Candidates for Manchester and Town and Country Aldermen

UPDATED: 11:09 a.m.

The following corrections have been made to this article:

Town and Country: Carl G. Strasser was removed since he withdrew from the race. Jon Benigas was added to the list of candidates.

UPDATED: 4:00 p.m.

Dale Schmid- who was initially running for the Ward Three seat on the Manchester Board of Aldermen removed himself from the April 5 ballot Wednesday. 

Filing for the April 5 election closed Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Manchester has three open seats. The terms of Aldermen Bob Tullock, of Ward One; Mike Clement, of Ward Two; and Don Ryan, of Ward Three are all up. All three filed for re-election.

Town and Country has four seats open in April. Lynn H. Wright, of Ward One; Tim Welby, of Ward Two; Fred Meyland-Smith, of Ward Three and David A. Karney, of Ward Four all have terms ending. All four have filed for re-election.

Town and Country - Manchester Patch contacted all of the candidates who filed. Here is a wrap of who's running and what they said about the election:

Fred Meyland-Smith-

Meyland-Smith, of Ward Three, has served for six years on the board of aldermen. Meyland-Smith said his experience would help Town and Country continue to offer high quality services with limited resources.

“We still have big challenges in front of us. Resident services, such as branch pick-up, must be restored,” Meyland-Smith said. “Deer management is an ongoing necessity for evident safety reasons and the funding should come from the city. We need to effectively recruit businesses to fill the vacant space in our established retail centers."

Meyland-Smith said the city must be creative in how it uses its budget.

"For 13 years now, our city has not taxed real estate and we have relied exclusively on sales tax and business fees," Meyland-Smith said. "The national economic downturn has, not surprisingly, adversely affected our revenue."

David Karney-

Karney, of Ward Four, was censured at the last board meeting for an inappropriate e-mail sent from his computer to Alderman Meyland-Smith. Karney said he hoped the board would move forward.

Karney has served as part of the Town and Country city government for 14 years, two of those as mayor of the city. He said this experience has brought him knowledge about the city’s processes.

“Being able to work with so many different professionals has helped me to make sure all residents needs are taken care of in a timely manner,” Karney said.

Karney also said he would like to continue and restore some of the services residents need in the city.

“(My priorities are) increasing the funding for storm water issues which impact so many of our residents,” Karney said. “Also to restore funds to bring back branch chipping and lastly work towards finding funds to increase several exciting programs which will help keep Town and Country a leader in environmental programs.”

Lynn Wright-

Wright, of Ward One, is running unchallenged as a board member. Although contacted by Patch, she did not have a comment by the time of publication.

Tim Welby-

Welby, of Ward Two, is currently president of the board of aldermen. Welby told patch he needed more time before commenting on why he refiled or on his platform.

John Benigas-

Benigas is running against David Karney, of Ward Four. Benigas could not be reached for comment by Patch Wednesday morning. Patch will post his comments if they are provided.

Bob Tullock-

Tullock, of Ward One, who has filed a lawsuit against the board of aldermen over the board president title, said he wants to make sure the city is not running a deficit every year. He's been accused of holding the city back from approving a 2011 budget at recent board meetings, but Tullock said he does not want the city to have to raise taxes or cut services and the only way to do this is by scrutinizing the budget.

“One of the biggest things this year is keeping a real close eye of where the dollars are being spent so we don’t end up in bankruptcy,” Tullock said. “At the rate we are going we are either going to have to cut services or increase taxes."

Tullock said he represents the wishes of his constituents and if elected he will not vote on legislation simply because it’s popular.

“I look at the issue and I don’t vote for or against any ordinance just because it is the popular thing to do, or to be part of the good old boys club,” Tullock said. “I have never been part of that. I never will be." 

Paul Hamill-

Hamill is running against Tullock for the Ward One seat. Hamill served as a board member from 2008 to 2010 and was defeated by Hal Roth in the last election. He said he wants to return to the board to end the current “obstruction of progress.”

“I refuse to stand on the sidelines when I see certain board members obstructing and preventing any progress for the city and for the residents of Ward One in order to advance a personal political agenda,” Hamill said. “When the board cannot approve a police chief, cannot elect a board president, cannot approve a sidewalk to the library and cannot pass a budget, that is a problem.”

Don Ryan-

Ryan, of Ward Three, has been accused by residents of siding with Tullock and Roth in preventing the 2011 budget from passing. Ryan, however, said he hopes the board will compromise in the budget and has expressed that during recent budget discussions among board members.

“The most important issue for me is to resolve our differences regarding the budget,” Ryan said. “I feel that the board is not that far apart. I think we will be able to reach some kind of consensus."

Ryan has served on the board for eight years. He said he has been able to accomplish many projects while in office, such as the Highlands Shopping Center, the new police headquarters and lowering the real state tax.

“There is some unfinished business that I would like to see done,” Ryan said.

John Schrader

Schrader is challenging Ryan for the Ward Three board seat. Schrader said he is tired of the way the board members bicker with one another.

“I think it’s time to get someone in there to unify the board, try and move the city forward and get it out of the stalemate it’s been in the last couple of years,” Schrader said.

If elected, his number one priority will be to pass the 2011 budget if it hasn’t been passed by then and improve the safety of the city. Schrader, however, said he just hopes the residents of Manchester get more involved in city government.

“The city government is responsible for their city lights, sewer, snow plowing, and everything that affects their daily lives,” Schrader said. “I would love to see people more involved and do whatever is necessary to continue to make Manchester a fantastic place to live.”

Mike Clement

Clement, of Ward Two, is the only candidate unchallenged in this election. Clement said if elected he is not bringing any new ideas to the table, until the most basic necessities are addressed by the board.

“New Ideas? In the last year, our city has been stymied in its efforts to resolve even the most basic questions,” stated Clement, who has been on the board for 10 years. “Several aldermen regularly abstain to prevent basic needs in other wards from being met. Even budgeted critical infrastructure improvements are defeated by aldermen who openly advocate that the city should spend an equal amount of tax dollars in every ward, regardless of need.”

Clement said a few days ago, he heard a friend say “I’m glad I don’t live in Manchester.” He said this comment made him think very seriously about Manchester’s current situation.

“For me, battling my friend's perception needs to be my focus. I am, and will continue, working on spreading the word that Manchester is a terrific city to live in,” Clement said. “As a city, we are so fortunate to have the resources we have. We have a great city staff. We have a growing tax base. We're one of the safest communities in all of Missouri. The services we provide are unequaled by surrounding cities. Our list of great city qualities goes on, but that message has been lost in the last year, swamped by the discord and voting divisiveness of the board of aldermen."