Houston hopefuls step up

HOUSTON — Houston City Council candidates answered a variety of questions Friday evening at a two-hour-long candidate forum at the Houston Senior Center.

Voters on Tuesday will select three of the six candidates to serve three-year terms on the Houston City Council’s Seats E, F, G. New council members will be sworn in at the Oct. 11 council meeting and then the new council will choose one member to serve as mayor.

Among the more interesting questions was one regarding the possibility of firing the fire chief and public works director and promoting city clerk Steve Cunningham to city manager after the new council members are elected.

Write-in candidate for Seat E, Lee Himes, said two different people have asked him if that’s the council’s intent. “I told them not to believe everything they hear.”

Himes said he missed the deadline to file for election due to a medical emergency and so is running as a write-in candidate against Kathleen Barney. They will square off for Seat G.

But current mayor Rosemary Burnett, who is running against former council member Paul Stout for Seat F, said she’s heard the same whispers. “I would not get rid of anyone who is doing their job no matter what their pay is.”

Alma Hartley, who is running for Seat E against James Johansen, said she’s also heard the same theory batted around town.

Candidates also were asked what they would do to improve the city.

Barney said she’d start by taking a look at how the city spends its budget. “Houston’s a great place to live and it can get even better,” she said.

Himes said he’d work to get light industry would benefit the city by providing jobs for residents and increasing the city’s tax base, he said.

“We need to keep working with our senators and our legislators,” Himes said.

Hartley said it’s important to her to keep the beautiful look of Houston and its small-town ambiance.

Johansen said fixing the city’s roughly $1 million budget would be his priority. “From there you can do everything else.”

Stout agreed, adding that between the police and fire departments, the city’s small budget doesn’t go far. “We either need to find more money or use our money more efficiently. Preferably both.”

He said he’d also like to see more positive coverage of the city by the media.

Burnett said she thinks she’s done a good job keeping the city out of the newspaper.

Candidates were asked if they support the police and fire departments.

Johansen said he does. “As far as I am concerned, the police are great now,” he said

He said when his family needed help, Houston Police Officer Brandon Gray arrived quickly to assist.

“Thank you, sir,” he said to McAnally, who was standing in the back during the meeting.

Burnett said she would not support returning police and fire responsibilities to the borough. Barney agreed, saying the fire and police are a great resource for Houston residents.

“You don’t want your house to be on fire and the fire department to have to come from somewhere else,” she said. “As far as supporting [Fire Chief] Tom Hood, as long as he’s ethical and honest, I would support him.”

Hartley’s husband, Christian, works for the Houston Fire Department and she is a longtime volunteer. She said the department purchased new turnouts for everyone thanks to money it received with one of the grants her husband wrote.

“There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do even if it came to getting hurt to save someone,” Hartley said. “It’s very beneficial when you have an emergency and you have someone familiar come to your home.”

Himes said updating the volunteer firefighters’ turnout gear was essential. “When you are in a burning building pulling out grandma, they have to be protected.”

Candidates were asked if they favor growth.

“I don’t want to see Houston become like the other Houston,” Stout said. He said he would favor a business such as the Spenard Builders Supply truss plant that at the intersection of the Parks Highway and Big Lake Road.

Johansen said he’d also like to see new businesses come to Houston. “Not a Dow Chemical or a Wal-Mart, but I support growth — so long as it doesn’t turn into what Wasilla looks like.”

Barney said growth is inevitable, which makes it important to work with the planning committee to plan and manage the city’s growth.

Hartley said she would like to see a gas station or a grocery store locate in the city. “We will get more people here because it’s a great place to live.”

Burnett said if the railroad extension does pass through Houston it will spur growth. “We need some development here to support the businesses we have already.”

Himes said the city does need growth, especially a gas station so people don’t have to drive to Meadow Lakes or Big Lake to get gas.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.