Candidates' forum raises discussion of Cheney's future

Economy, growth and business are main topics addressed by mayor and city council hopefuls

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

The Cheney Free Press Candidates' Forum sparked discussion on a variety of topics as audience members put their potential representatives in the hot seat before the upcoming election.

The candidates for two contested City Council positions, as well as the mayoral candidates for the city, answered questions from the audience of around 50 people at the third annual event, hosted by the Cheney Free Press Oct. 14 in Cheney High School's Little Theatre. The forum began with questions of the council candidates: Fred Pollard and Graeme Webster running for the open Position 1, and Kathleen Warren in her bid for Position 3. Position 3 incumbent Mike McKeehan was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.

After moderator and Cheney Free Press cditor John McCallum introduced the candidates, they each presented a bit of background on themselves, and the forum began.

For the next hour, the candidates answered questions posed by McCallum as well as written questions from audience members. Much of the discussion centered on growth and plans for the future of the community.

The candidates agreed that growth is good for the city, but their views on regulation and different types of development differed.

“We have to have the growth; we can never go back,” Webster said. “But we have to do it within certain guidelines.”

He said that some things needed to be preserved to keep the small-town feel in the community.

“There's a lot of tradition, there's a lot of history here in the city of Cheney,” he said. He also cited his experience on the planning commission and said recent residential growth has brought too many apartment complexes to the city, and that some zoning needs to be changed.

Pollard said the city needed to manage growth without limiting it. He said the recently completed industrial park has potential to help the city.

“This park is likely to marry business and education together and create job opportunities and bring much-needed resources financially into the community here,” he said.

Warren said she noticed a reduction in businesses when she moved back to Cheney, and said this trend needs to be changed.

“So when I think about growth I think about growth not only for business, but I think about growth as far as marketing, I think about growth in education, I think about growth in everything,” she said. “And I just think that we will not become Spokane Valley or Liberty Lake because we are just so unique and we have traditions, which we need to honor.”

Webster and Pollard differed on a question about the strength of the relationship between Cheney and the West Plains Chamber of Commerce. Webster said he has not seen many benefits from the city's involvement, but Pollard said the relationship was important, and that Cheney should consider forming it's own chamber to enhance business in the community.

Webster expressed frustration about what he considered a lack of marketing materials to attract businesses to Cheney.

“It's pretty difficult to sell the city or the assets of the city when you don't have something tangible that you can show someone,” he said.

Pollard countered that he took fliers printed by the city to California, where he distributed them to CEOs and business owners. He said he has been working to establish a chamber for Cheney.

“There needs to be a group of people coming together to form the community chamber and go forward into the world and then let the world know,” he said.

The candidates all expressed their support for Choices for Cheney, the city's comprehensive plan rewrite process. A question on dealing with developers prompted them to discuss their vision for Cheney's future.

An audience member asked whether the city should require developers show a community need for their project.

Warren said she would like to see the developer's resume and ask them questions before allowing a building project.

“Are you here just to make money? Are we just another project? Are you really looking at our city, our zoning, our future, and making a wise decision?” she said.

Pollard said the city should utilize the comprehensive plan as a guide for dealing with developers.

“We as a city should reward developers, whether they're in town or out of town, that follow the comp plan and give the community what they want,” he said.

Webster again brought up his concern about the city's zoning.

“My biggest concern with the development going to the north side, is that more apartments are going to go up on land that's already zoned for apartments,” he said, adding that the zoning was done years ago and is now creating problems for the city.

He also pointed to the comprehensive plan to direct development.

“We do have a responsibility as a city to ensure that whatever type of development they put in, it's in keeping with the overall goal of the comprehensive plan—the growth management plan—which is being worked on at the present, and it meets the needs of the community as well as the developer,” he said.

One question asked for a solution to the problem of EWU students utilizing free parking near downtown.

Warren said she would brainstorm solutions with other city officials and look at past attempts to handle the parking issue.

Pollard said he'd like to explore the possibility of removing the islands on some side streets downtown and implementing angled parking for more space.

“There's an opportunity to find a property owner who would negotiate doing a permanent parking back there in those dirt areas (between First Street businesses and the railroad tracks),” he added.

Webster didn't consider the parking issue to be a problem.

“Let's be realistic here. The downtown core is not that large. So you have to walk a block away; it's good exercise,” he said. “Really, it is a non-issue, people. Non-issue. Let's be realistic. If you can't walk a block, you need to get on a fitness program.”

On the topic of the upcoming $5 million bond for a new park, Pollard and Webster expressed their support of the bond, but Warren had concerns.

“I guess my concern is the availability of transportation to the park and whether all the needs of the community are being met,” she said.

After closing remarks from the council candidates, mayor candidates Allan Gainer and Tom Trulove took the stage.

Gainer, the incumbent, said he wanted to keep the job because there's more work to be done. Trulove, former mayor and current Councilman, said he would bring a new leadership style to the mayor's office, which he said would include “much more hands-on leadership.”

The candidates didn't differ much on the issues: both said the supported balanced growth, specifically bringing new industries into the new industrial park; both said the city needs to help community agencies like the food bank and the museum that were displaced after the collapse of the Wren Pierson building last winter; both said Cheney should have its own chamber of commerce.

Trulove and Gainer disagreed on downtown revitalization, though. Gainer, who is co-chair of the Cheney Merchants Association and the owner of a downtown business, said the city could do more to support a healthy downtown.

Gainer cited things the city has done downtown already, like installing benches and new lighting.

“I think we need to take it another step further,” he said. “I think the city should help out in forming our chamber.”

Trulove said the city has worked over the years to revitalize downtown, including seeking grants to plant trees installing bricks and other architectural features to make the area attractive and supporting projects like Pathways to Progress.

“When you look at the results of that, what the city has done in terms of Pathways and some of the other things, I don't see much of a return on the investment,” he said. “The number of vacant buildings is about the same as it was before. I don't see, in many cases, much investment on improving the exteriors that exist.”

Trulove agreed the city needed a chamber of commerce, but said it should not come from city government, but from business owners and citizens.

When asked how they would make time for the duties of mayor, Gainer said he worked to surround himself with competent city employees. He admitted, though, that being a business owner and raising a family can be hard to balance with his city responsibilities.

“I've been trying my best with that one, and it has been challenging,” he said.

Trulove said though he does teach classes at EWU that can't be rescheduled, most of his duties as chair of the economics department can be prioritized, he said.

“I have a somewhat flexible schedule,” he said, though he admitted he would have to cut back on some other activities if elected.

Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.