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2010-02-09

2010-01-19

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Wednesday, April 01, 2009 10:58 AM

Handful of Wellsville candidates compete for three seats

By JENALEA MYERS, Herald Staff Writer

WELLSVILLE — At least two new faces will be elected in April to the Wellsville City Council.

Incumbent Marvin Hutchinson and newcomers Jared Eggleston, Tim Jamison, Dave Rogers and Ryan Young will compete for just three open spots on the council.

Marvin Hutchinson

Hutchinson is the lone incumbent vying for a position on the council.

A longtime community member, Hutchinson has served four years. He said he’d like to see projects like the city’s comprehensive improvement plan, which addresses infrastructure improvements and land annexation, through.

“It’s just now starting to come together,” he said. “I would like another four years to see this through or at least get a good start.”

Hutchinson, who is retired, is active in the American Legion, Wellsville Chamber of Commerce and delivers meals for the Mid America Nutrition Program. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for more than 40 years and have two sons.

“We have a good working council,” he said. “Everybody has a say in what goes on, and everyone has ideas.”

He said he tries to be active in the community and take an interest in its residents.

“I really want to make Wellsville a better place to live and improve the quality of life,” he said.

Jared Eggleston

New businesses and infrastructure are top issues for Eggleston, a Wellsville community member since 2002.

“Wellsville is a wonderful small town that is only beginning to grow,” he said. “There are a number of infrastructure issues — water and sewer — that have started to be addressed, and I want to help these projects come to fruition the most economical way possible.”

Eggleston, who used to work for the Wellsville Police Department, works for Cromwell Environmental in Lawrence.

“Our company cleans up environmental issues in homes and businesses including mold, lead and asbestos,” he said. “We also design and install alternative energy sources.”

Eggleston and his wife, Erin, have two children.

He said bringing new businesses to the community is important.

“This will benefit citizens and will hopefully help our town continue to thrive through these tough economic times,” he said.

Tim Jamison

A foreman on a construction crew, Jamison served a full term and part of another term on the council in the 1990s.

“I moved out of the city limits, so I had to give it up,” he said. “But I really enjoyed it.”

Now that he lives back in the city limits, Jamison is looking to snag an open council seat. He said water and sewer replacement will be the main issues facing Wellsville.

“There’s going to be a lot of decisions made on funding through bonds and grants,” he said. “That’s going to be a pretty big concern.”

During Jamison’s prior terms on the council, members oversaw the establishment of senior housing at First and Walnut streets and also implemented a half-cent sales tax increase that funded sidewalks, he said.

In November, Wellsville residents passed a half-cent sales tax increase for infrastructure improvements.

“That’s a big help,” Jamison said. “A half-cent is not that bad of a hit on people, and it’s a good way to raise a lot of money in a short amount of time.”

Dave Rogers

Rogers said he has wanted to run for the council for a while.

“I wanted to do it for several years, but I traveled quite a bit with my work,” he said. “I have a new position now and don’t travel as much.”

Rogers, who administers health care plans for Ford and Volvo in a Shawnee office, has lived in the Wellsville area his whole life.

A former volunteer firefighter and little league coach, Rogers is married with two children.

“I just want to see a community that is ready to move forward to the next century,” he said. “I want a safe environment for my kids to grow up in and have a community that they’ll be proud of as well as myself.”

Ryan Young

While he’s never run for the council before, Young does have some background in politics.

He worked on the campaign for then-Rep. Tom Holland and in 2008 served as treasurer for Rep. Tony Brown.

A 2005 Baker University graduate, Young, who has lived in Wellsville for two years, said the city’s sewers are one area he’d like to improve.

“The sewer system hasn’t been touched in 50 years,” he said. “We have flooding in backyards after huge rain storms.”

Upgrading equipment for the fire and police departments and implementing “green” initiatives also are important, he said.

Young works in the special education department at Gardner Edgerton High School and is active in the Wellsville Baptist Church.

“I want to help people out,” he said. “I’m not out there with a personal agenda. My agenda will be the citizens of Wellsville.”

Jenalea Myers can be e-mailed at jmyers@ottawaherald.com.

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