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Candidates were asked to limit their responses to each of the following questions to 200 words or less.
NAME: Christopher Shoults
AGE: 65
OCCUPATION: Self-employed. I teach Federal contracting professionals how to plan for, write, and manage multimillion-dollar contracts.
INCUMBENT: No.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Attend Alert Evangelical Church, Leonardville American Legion (treasurer), Leonardville Library Board (treasurer), Leonardville Pride (treasurer).
-Why have you decided to run for a position on the City Council/Mayor? If you are an incumbent, why did you decide to run for re-election?
Leonardville has not had a mayoral candidate on the ballot for a while. I believe that the community needs someone who wants this job. Additionally, I believe that the best government is a transparent government.
We currently do not have city ordinances readily available to the public other than going to City Hall and making a request. This is not transparency.
Our council meetings are open to the public, but it is difficult to hear what is being discussed and the minutes are not available until they are published in the paper nearly two months later. This is not transparency.
While I certainly do not believe that our current, or past, City Councils have done anything wrong, transparency can be improved. This, I hope, will encourage more residents to participate in building a prosperous community.
-What experience/background do you have that would make you a good city council member/mayor? If you are an incumbent, what experience/background has made you a good city council member/mayor?
I spent my adulthood working with and for the Federal Government – after 22 years, I retired from the Army, then I went into the Civil Service. In the Civil Service, I developed budgets, forecasted future needs, hired and fired personnel, and developed a wide variety of multimillion-dollar contracts. I have been a member of many Army and Department of Defense planning teams so I understand how bureaucracies work and how to accomplish goals even when members have competing agendas.
I hold a Master of Business Administration, so I understand how business works. Government is a business with the purpose of providing city services. These need to be effective and efficient, comply with Kansas and Federal laws, and decided in an open manner. Additionally, the Council’s actions need to be explained to the residents so that they can have confidence that everyone will be treated impartially.
-What are the top three issues you believe the city will face during your term, if elected/re-elected?
Infrastructure: Routine issues that the city is responsible for are water, sewers, and roads. We need to ensure that these provide reliable service. These require regular monitoring. I believe that the current Council and City Staff are doing a fine job on this, but if we ever lose vigilance, we could have a serious problem in a short period of time.
Economic development: Like most small Kansas towns, Leonardville needs to attract new businesses. The City needs to work closely with organizations like the Leonardville Area Business Association and Pride to develop a strategic plan of what Leonardville will look like in 10-20 years. We need to review zoning to encourage companies to grow here.
Housing: Moving.com estimates that there are more than 300 houses in town, of which 50 are vacant. Some of these are likely no longer inhabitable. Very few of these properties are listed for sale. Run-down, empty homes do not make the city an inviting place to live. Our options are to build new housing developments, encourage the sale of these vacant properties, or stagnate as a town.
-What is the number one issue you plan to tackle, if elected/re-elected? I do not think that there are any significant crises to be handled immediately but I believe that we need to develop a Strategic Plan like the Comprehensive Plan for Riley County. I will request volunteers (individuals and representatives of organizations) be appointed to review emergency procedures, ordinances, zoning, codes, communication plans, infrastructure, and internal procedures and policies. This review, conducted by a cross section of our community, can be used by the City Council to coordinate our actions for the benefit of the residents.
-Is there something you would like to see change about any city ordinance or program? I would like to see our city codes, ordinances, and procedures codified and available online. Currently, it is difficult to know what these are without going to City Hall and asking the City Clerk. As great as our clerk is, operating an information booth is among the less important duties.