Best chosen for Palmer council seat

PALMER -- After three rounds of secret-ballot voting, the Palmer City Council agreed Tuesday that Richard Best, who has served on Palmer's Planning and Zoning Committee for a little more than a year, to fill the seat vacated recently by longtime council member Diana Long.

Best vied against Brian Fish for the seat in a competition that took about a half hour, with candidates returning to the speaker's chair numerous times in hopes of breaking the board's apparent indecision about who should fill the seat.

The council followed established guidelines in which candidates were given a few minutes for introduction and asked two prepared questions, before council members cast their secret votes. Both Best and Fish expressed similar commitments to the community and shared a similar vision of the importance of mindful, guided progress.

Fish said he believes two things are key to the city's growth.

"I believe in order for the city to grow, extending the boundaries is important," Fish said. "It's important to provide recreation for kids in the community as well."

He added that, along with growth, the city must provide adequate services, such as police protection and utility services.

Best said he, too, believes in the need for community growth in a guided manner.

"I love the farmland, it gives a homey, small-town feel and I feel that's something the city of Palmer really needs to embrace and rally around," Best said. "Annexation should protect the free spirit, but also allow for growth."

When asked what he believed the city's priority should be, Best, who had been involved with the city's P&Z committee through the recent annexation that took the city from about 3.5 square miles to about 5.3, said annexation should be a top issue.

"Annexation is probably the biggest issue the city council will be dealing with -- the current annexation plans and any future annexation plans," Best said. "But the city has to balance

services provided with taxes incurred and the different amenities the city has to

offer."

After the first round of votes resulted in a 3-3 tie, city council members were asked if they had further questions for the candidates. Clarifications were made to both candidates' personal histories and council members voted again by secret ballot, but to no avail.

When the second tie vote was announced, Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper asked the council candidates to bear with them as they continued to vote until one candidate got at least four votes.

"It's sort of like Survivor, really," Cooper joked.

When the candidates were asked if they had anything they wanted to add, Best spoke, reiterating his service on the P&Z commission.

"With a little understanding of the issues P&Z has had to struggle with, it might give me a little bit better view," Best said. Fish said he didn't have more to add to the discussion.

The bout of campaigning seemed to be enough to sway at least one vote in Best's favor, as when the third round of secret ballots was counted, Best had four votes to Fish's two.

Best and Fish shook hands, and Best immediately went through the swearing-in process and took his seat at the council table. Prior to the voting, council members expressed their appreciation for outgoing council member Diane Long's service to the city.

"Diana had spent 11 or 12 years on the council prior to this term," council member Tony Pippel said. "I'm sorry she's gone -- she's done a lot of good for the city and were going to miss her."