[Peace-discuss] Urbana elections today

[Robert Naiman]

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/politics-and-government/2013-02-15/prussing-defends-her-record-stratton-repeats-his-criticisms-

Prussing defends her record as Stratton repeats his criticisms of it

Fri, 02/15/2013 - 10:31pm | Patrick Wade

URBANA — The two Democratic candidates for mayor have not been shy
about pointing out each other's weaknesses as a Feb. 26 primary
election nears, and they carefully toed the line separating difference
of opinion from outright attack again on Friday night.

Incumbent Mayor Laurel Prussing and her challenger, Les Stratton, met
in the Urbana City Council chambers for the only scheduled debate
before the primary.

Prussing cast herself as an established leader who has successfully
guided the city through economic recession without cutting staff or
core city services, while Stratton continued to point out what he
thinks are missteps in city projects of the past few years.

"The city of Urbana has continued to move forward despite the
challenges," Prussing said in her closing statement.

Stratton did not stray from the issues which he has adopted as
campaign points during the past few weeks: his "economic development
plan" to leverage private investment and his plan to restore city
reserve funds. He said he will hire a chief administrative officer to
oversee budgeting and contracting, and he plans to make sure money is
spent on "roads we drive on every day."

"There is a clear choice for Urbana voters in this election," Stratton said.

The hiring of a chief administrative officer has been a common thread
through many of Stratton's attacks on Prussing. The city last had a
chief administrator in 2007, when the person holding the position at
that time was put on administrative leave and not invited by Prussing
to return to city employment at the end of the fiscal year.

Prussing then hired a chief of staff — not a chief administrative
officer — and assumed many of the duties herself. Since then, she
said, the city has run more smoothly and cheaply.

"I have a chief of staff. I hired a person and called it a chief of
staff, so I think it's not really right to be quibbling over the
title," Prussing said.

But Stratton said the expertise is not adequate to, for one thing,
manage contracts like a $1.45 million deal with the owner of the
Landmark Hotel. He said the incentives for the owner to renovate and
reopen the hotel have been mismanaged and the city did not get what it
expected.

He said the lack of a chief administrative officer has also left
Urbana behind on some of the businesses that have chosen to locate and
build in Champaign.

Prussing did not agree.

"We've had millions of dollars invested in Urbana, and that was during
a recession," Prussing said. "So I think we're doing remarkably well."

The two fielded a broad range of questions written by audience members
on index cards on Friday night. The questions were screened and
delivered to the moderator.

They covered the Boneyard Creek beautification project in downtown
Urbana, economic development, streets and crime. Stratton said he
wanted to put more police officers on the street by cutting into
firefighter overtime.

"That would be the first thing on my plate," Stratton said. "Make sure
the crime in southeast Urbana is addressed and addressed immediately."

Prussing says the overtime is needed to maintain having three
firefighters man every truck and cutting it would be a violation of
the union contract. And maintaining the overtime, which is used when a
regularly scheduled firefighter is sick or on vacation, is cheaper
than hiring new staff.

"I think it's wrong to pit the fire department and the police
department against each other," she said.

The mayoral candidates shared the night with the two city clerk
candidates who are facing off in a Feb. 26 primary election: incumbent
City Clerk Phyllis Clark and her challenger, Mike Gatsche.

Gatsche said he has spent 35 years in the construction business and
wanted to make the clerk's office more accessible outside of the 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours.

"In the construction business, I am used to starting early and working
late," Gatsche said.

He also promised to not serve beyond two terms and to not take a pay
raise in his second term.

Clark has been city clerk since 1993 and said she hopes to keep the
office as "hassle-free" as possible.

"The city of Urbana is a diverse community, and as such, my staff and
I are committed to addressing the individual needs of each person that
comes to our office," Clark said.

-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org