Reddi did not provide a biography
Why should I vote for you?
I am serving my second term on the Manhattan City Commission and was mayor in 207-2017-2018 and 2020. We’ve made a lot of progress in the past few years such as the three new neighborhood recreation centers, implementing the Edge Collaboration district on the North Campus in partnership with Kansas State University and revitalizing the Aggieville Business District. All on these are necessary to be competitive with other communities. My background as a public-school teacher has provided me with knowledge and understanding of working with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds, socio-economic conditions, a variety of ideologies and access to different resources. I understand that policies cannot be a one size fits all approach. As a public servant I work to improve the lives of our students, families, businesses, and seniors by listening to their concerns and by working with our community partners. Civic responsibility and cooperation lead to positive economic outcomes.
What is your biggest budget priority and why?
The biggest budget priority has been and will continue to be personnel and maintaining high quality services. I base my decisions on our city’s mission statement which is the following: “to sustain order and protect public safety, promote public health, preserve the built and natural environment, and enhance economic vitality”.
I review our revenue streams to see if they are meeting the needs of the community and try to balance expenditures to ensure the city of Manhattan is meeting its mission.
How would you draw more economic development and investment to Manhattan?
We currently have several projects in progress such as the last few phases of the North Campus Corridor, the airport runway, and revitalizing Aggieville. All of these have an impact on long term goals for economic development and investment in Manhattan. Developers and businesses are reaching out to us because of improvements we have invested in already.
The two new recreation centers in partnership with the middle schools have competitive sporting events lined up for 2022. There will be more of these as we continue improvements to our ballfields and tennis courts. In the future, we may also have an indoor swimming pool to offer swimming competitions as well as for recreation.
The new sales tax that was passed in 2020 has a dedication 20% of the revenue dedicated to job creation, recruitment or retention initiatives that’s close to $1.3 million a year starting in 2023. The city also has the Manhattan Economic Development Fund Advisory Board (MEDOFAB), Riley County Economic Development (RICOED) and the new RICOED economic development funds to utilize. Many businesses have used these funds. The economic development application process has been very effective in the past and it will reap rewards in the future as well.
We have a housing study steering committee working with a consultant to assist in how to best utilize dedicated sales tax funds specific for workforce housing in our community.
It important to invest in startups and entrepreneurial space for innovative ideas and new businesses, small businesses, and local businesses to thrive and be successful. We have potential to recruit and retain businesses from other states and other countries. I think we need to leverage our agriculture expertise, along with NBAF, and our research facilities, and plan with other communities in the Flint Hills region to build a broad base of <response edited for length limit>
What does Manhattan do well? How should that be maintained/expanded?
Manhattan does a lot of things well. We have strong partnerships and relationships with our community partners such as our higher education entities, USD 383, the Chamber, social services organizations, and Fort Riley. This is not the case in many communities. Our partnership with USD 383 made the two recreation facilities a reality. The new Douglas Community Activity Center came to fruition because of their advisory board and community organization recommendations to meet the needs in their surrounding neighborhood. Our community passed several quality-of-life ballot initiatives the past few years and made them a priority for the city.
We work together with the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce and provide them with several tools and resources to recruit and retain businesses.
The Riley County Police Department does a good job at keeping our community safe and the joint structure between the city and county has worked well for the community at large.
Manhattan was one of the first cities to have a mutual aid agreement with Fort Riley. A unique bulk salt agreement is in place in which Manhattan would buy salt at a bulk rate and Fort Riley would provide storage space. These types MOU’s are cost savings to both entities and there’s potential for more in the future.
We made a huge investment in the Manhattan Airport and that’s been a game changer for businesses, the university, Fort Riley, and the region. Next steps would be to get flights to other destinations in addition to Chicago and Dallas.
What future improvements/additions/changes should be prioritized?
We need to continue to work on improving our roads, alleys, stormwater systems and flood mitigation efforts. Several areas in our community flood easily and displace families and students. This is an ongoing challenge we need to address. We need to look at creating more event spaces for large events and/or concerts such as the Country Stampede.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a steering committee looking at feasibility of an indoor pool. The Strategic Plan has goals and priorities for internal city needs and community needs. We will review that document closely on each of our agenda items.
In what ways, if any, does Manhattan need to adapt for the mass influx of families for NBAF and Afghan resettlement?
These are two different groups with different needs, and I don’t foresee a mass influx of either. NABF has been under construction for a few years and most of the employees were construction workers. It is getting closer to being fully operational and has hired about 300 employees. The process has been incremental, and the city has been in constant communication with Kansas State University, state and federal authorities on the transition and recruitment of employees to Manhattan. The city is well-prepared for the employees and families moving to Manhattan to work at NABF or research related to such areas.
The Afghan resettlement has been community led effort. I believe there have been two or three families that are in Manhattan so far. The federal, state, and local social, community and faith-based organizations are working on the resettlement of families. The school district is also involved but the city does not have key role in this process. As for Manhattan adapting to the incoming Afghan families, I think we welcome them and provide the care and support they need to settle here. They are escaping horrific situation in their own country and coming here with barely any possessions. We are a welcoming community filled with kind people willing to help as needed.
What ways, if any, should the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion be included in professional development or other training for City employees?
Diversity, equity and inclusion professional development is already included in our Human Resources Department for our employees. The city has a DEI subcommittee that discuss and works on DEI issues. The Manhattan Area Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force will bring forth recommendations in December to the city commission regarding individual and family support, economic opportunity, public safety, livability, and health and wellness. These recommendations will be for the city as well as the community at large. The task force consists of 25 members from the community. A strategic plan for the City of Manhattan was just completed and one of the goals was to implement the diversity, equity, and inclusion recommendations. I foresee the city commission discussing these at length since we have not seen the recommendations yet.
What is your top, specific issue in running for this office and why?
I don’t have one singular issue I am running on. City commissioner deal with more than one issue but it is about how you make decisions, listening to community members and doing what is the best interest of everyone.
I am running on my commitment to civic responsibility and community engagement - This includes civil discourse, communication and transparency, and putting community first.
I am running on my commitment to efficient government and improved intergovernmental cooperation. This includes partnerships with Kansas State University, Fort Riley, Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 and other entries in Manhattan and the Flint Hills Region. Collaboration between the public sector and the private sector in essential for growth and to ensure a welcoming and safe community for all.
I am running on my commitment to economic development and work force development. This includes recruiting and retaining businesses locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. We need to grow our own talent with education and technical institutions in our community and invest in quality of life, housing, and infrastructure.
Editor’s Note: All candidates were provided identical questions. All candidates were given identical time limits for response submissions. Responses were limited to 300 words per question. Candidate responses are published as written, up to 300 words. Only candidates choosing to respond will be profiled.