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City Council candidates woo student voters on campus

by Emilia Garvey

This year Grinnell’s November election may not draw national attention as did last year’s, but there will still be plenty of important decisions to make.

Three standing council members are running for re-election against three challengers. All met in a public meet-and-greet in the Forum South Lounge on Monday. Mayor Gordon Canfield was also present. The candidates came to discuss their stances on important town issues.

Grinnell students who are registered voters will be able to choose between 1st Ward incumbent Peggy Elliot, a Yale-educated lawyer who has been on the council for 16 years, and opposing candidate Oliva Wright, a child care provider who has lived in Grinnell for 30 years. Students may also vote in the councilperson-at-large race, in which 20-year incumbent Jim White, owner of Bates Flower Shop and mayor pro-tem will run against Charlie Manly, who was city attorney from 1978 to 2003.

Many Grinnell students have been alive as long as some of the candidates have served the city, and may be puzzled about where they fit into city council issues. Much of the talk on Tuesday was about increasing economic vitality. Almost all the candidates agreed economic growth was something in which college students actively participate.

Both Elliot and White are on the Grinnell Renaissance committee, which orchestrated the improvements to downtown streets. “We don’t want our town to look like any other town,” Elliot said. “We want downtown to survive … [and to] prevail.”

White spoke about how downtown needs to take account of and provide for the needs of students without cars and those of the Mayflower retirement community. “We may not be able to compete with malls,” he said, “but we must create businesses for what people need.”

First Ward candidate Wright was also concerned with revenue that could help town ventures. “Every time Grinnell College students fill up their gas tank some of the tax goes to the town,” she said. “You don’t just get an education here, you also help our city.”

Candidates also debated how and where they want money to be distributed and used. At-large candidate Manly said that Grinnell should do more to have democratic finance policies. “Why does White feel that Grinnell should get involved with only one bidder for city improvements?” he asked. “It concerns me and I think it should change.”

Third ward incumbent Shannon McNaul argued that budget concerns were unjustified. She used as an example of the decorative downtown brickwork, which has been a subject of debate because some Grinnell residents see them as superfluous. McNaul said that the brickwork made up eight percent of the roadwork cost, and that a large committee had decided on it during proceedings that were open to the public.

Aside from fiscal and physical improvements candidates were asked to identify their most important issues. Elliot said that she was most concerned with forming a comprehensive park plan and improving recycling. “I’m going to work on it ‘till I die,” she said.

Wright also voiced her concern with maintaining and improving park facilities. “I’m interested in safe parks with safe equipment for children,” she said. She also wants to pursue a Grinnell water park to replace the public pool.

Incumbent White identified his biggest concern as creating a vital downtown, while Manly identified his main concern as “why democracy evades city council bidding.”

An ordinance on the local hotel tax, presently a three percent rate would increase to seven percent. The tax goes to pay for events that bring in revenue for local businesses and tourism advertising. It will potentially also be used for the Iowa Transportation Museum currently in the works. The city council is asking voters to support the tax.

The meet-and-greet, organized by SCIPE in conjunction with Campus Republicans and Campus Democrats, was an effort to inform voters. Campus Republicans leader Derek Bates ’08 was enthusiastic. “Students are voting,” he said. “We want them to be informed.”

“SCIPE is trying to get more involved with local politics,” said Christina Reynolds ’08, SCIPE leader.

Sidebar:

Voting locations

1st Ward

Community Center

Fourth Ave. & Broad St.

Gymnasium

West Half

2nd Ward

Community Center

Gymnasium

East Half

3rd Ward

Community Center

Park St. Entrance

4th Ward

Veterans’ Memorial

Building

834 Broad St.

Broad St. entrance

1st Ward candidates

Peggy Eliot*

Oliva Wright

At Large Candidates

Jim White*

Charlie Manly

* Incumbent

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