Candidates were asked to limit their responses to each of the following questions to 200 words or less.
NAME: Connor W. Knightley
AGE: 41
OCCUPATION: Client-facing technology specialist
INCUMBENT: No
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Volunteer for a variety of political causes, support KSU student groups, collaborate with the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, and Volunteer for Veterans groups associated with Fort Riley.
-Why have you decided to run for a position on the City Commission? If you are an incumbent, why did you decide to run for re-election?
I have decided to run for the purposes of promoting growth and development in Manhattan in a responsible, efficient, and sustainable way. Manhattan faces multiple challenges that have not been adequately addressed by past Commission efforts. As such I am running to bring fresh blood, new ideas for growth, new approaches to government relations with its community, and an enthusiastic focus on delivering an innovative approach to improving government to the City of Manhattan.
-What experience/background do you have that would make you a good city commissioner? If you are an incumbent, what experience/background has made you a good city commissioner?
I offer fresh perspectives and a great deal of experience that could help address the issues facing our community. I have spent years working at Fort Riley in a role dedicated to promoting and sustaining relations between the Fort Rile and Manhattan communities. Furthermore, I have spent over a decade working in the Manhattan technology community, including several years spent working at a local company whose objective is to leverage innovative technologies to make government work better. By bringing my extensive experience in managing Military-Manhattan relations as well as several years of improving government across the country to the table, I offer a breadth of experience unique among the candidates to the City Commission.
-What are the top three issues you believe the city will face during your term, if elected/re-elected?
First and foremost, I seek to promote sustained and sustainable economic growth and development within the Manhattan community, but to do so in a way that preserves what has made Manhattan so special. While promoting a business-friendly climate. is important, so is maintaining our family-friendly programs such as parks and recreation, so that we can appeal to external skilled workers and maintain our existing talent pool.
However, I have lived in communities that have experienced the challenges associated with rapid economic growth. Notably, elevated housing costs, which are already an area of concern in Manhattan, are commonly associated with such growth. It's far easier to proactively tackle this problem than to reactively respond. Also, I will focus on ensuring access to affordable access to public transportation which enables citizens to access workplaces across the city from wherever their affordable housing might be located.
Lastly, I would like to take steps to streamline administrative processes within the local government to allow for quicker and easier accounting, and the ability for the public access to government records for the purpose of public oversight and issuing of permits. In short, to make changes that encourage government to help citizens, not impede them.
-What is the number one issue you plan to tackle, if elected/re-elected?
Available and affordable housing. This is a concern that has been brought up by numerous individuals I've spoken with in the Manhattan community. While promoting business and economic growth within the community, doing so without a sustainable and accessible housing market could do more harm than good to the Manhattan community. A homelessness problem that gets out of control and the attendant issues associated with such a problem have several adverse consequences for the community as a whole. Owned property values decrease, crime tends to go up, pollution increases, and city expenditures must be diverted from other more positive programs to instead manage a homelessness population that spirals out of control. Assuming the Manhattan economy continues to grow, this is an issue that absolutely must be anticipated and handled before it becomes a problem that is infinitely more expensive and difficult to manage. A failure to do so will have adverse consequences on all citizens of Manhattan, even those in enviable financial positions. I believe that our community and government is capable of anticipating the nature of this challenge, and that we have the skills and capacity to effectively manage it.
-Is there something you would like to see change about any city ordinance or program?
I would like to see Manhattan's local government implement a modern digital infrastructure that allows citizens quick and efficient access to information and to have the ability to fill out all forms electronically. Honestly, our current e-infrastructure is not user-friendly and does not take advantage of features which could make the lives of regular citizens easier. Moreover, it has the ability to promote awareness of developments in their local government without requiring attendance to long City Commission meetings or reading difficult to decipher minutes from said meetings.
As an example of one instance of our local government's failure to properly take advantage of the technological resources at its disposal, go to the Initiatives page in the City of Manhattan website: https://cityofmhk.com/244/Initiatives
Click on "Active Projects", the first link. As of the publishing of this profile, that link leads to a page which says that there is not a web page matching that entry. This is a clearcut symptom of digital mismanagement in our local government. While this issue may be fixed after someone of importance reads this, it is but one of many areas in which our government can more effectively serve the Manhattan community in a digital fashion.