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First Ward candidates respond to Muleskinners' questions

TOMÁS ORIHUELA Mar 13, 2017

Correction

*This story has been corrected to reflect that First Ward candidate Pat Kelley invoked the fictional character Oliver Twist in her remarks about combatingpoverty.

COLUMBIA — The three candidates for the First Ward seat on the Columbia City Council discussed social equity, sales tax, local

investment, the minimum wage, community policing and climate change at a Boone County Muleskinners forum Friday afternoon at

Columbia Country Club.

Close to 50 people gathered for the forum, which was moderated by Bill Clark, to listen to First Ward incumbent Clyde Ru埫�n and

challengers Pat Kelley and Andrew Hutchinson as cutlery jingled in the background and the aroma of chicken and salad permeated the

dining room.

The candidates agreed that social equity must be a primary focus of the city.

"The First Ward represents the best of the city of Columbia, but also the poverty, crime and failing infrastructure," Ru埫�n said.

"There's clearly a gap between communities, and we need to address these issues," Hutchinson added. 

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22/3/2017 First Ward candidates respond to Muleskinners' questions | Local | columbiamissourian.com

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Tomas OrihuelaSpring 2017 Public Life reporter. I'm an exchange junior studying photojournalism with an emphasis on print and social media.

Kelley concluded: "There are two Columbias."

Sales tax shortfallOne of the most complicated topics that came up was the possibility of raising taxes to make up for the $10 million revenue gap that

Internet sales are creating annually.

"The sales tax shortage will hit the poor more," Hutchinson said, suggesting the city should look at raising property taxes. "That's why

we should raise taxes to developers. If you own property, you should be able to sacri埝�ce a little bit more."

Kelley was more cautious, saying the city should 埝�rst explore raising impact fees on developers and managing growth.

Ru埫�n said that before the city can raise taxes, residents will need to understand how Columbia's budget works. Education, he said, is

key. 

Local investment over big businessAsked about the possibility of attracting outside businesses that could help pay taxes, the candidates showed slight di埩�erences.

"There are people who are desperate for jobs, so anything that we can do to address that need, we will do," Ru埫�n said. "However, the

process of attracting big businesses is complicated."

Hutchinson said the city should invest in local businesses. "We're building sewers to companies who aren't even in the city."

Kelley said the city should emphasize spending on local infrastructure.

Minimum wage, urgent need*Kelley illustrated the poverty gap by invoking a 埝�ctional character more than one century old: Oliver Twist. She said her father took her

to the play "Oliver," based on the Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist" when she was young and told her that the country at the time

didn't have the kind of poverty the title character endured.

Kelley said all levels of government can apply what she calls "the Oliver Twist test" to determine whether they are building a middle

class or "exacerbating conditions that create poverty."

"The minimum wage needs to be a living wage," Kelley said.

Ru埫�n mentioned the economic disparities from which African-American citizen residents su埩�er, and he touched on the necessity of

education in the city's e埩�ort to reduce unemployment rates.

Hutchinson said the reality is that the minimum wage is too low. He cited his brother and his partner as an example. "We might not be

able to raise wages, but it's something that needs to be done as quickly as possible," Hutchinson said. "My brother works 40 hours a

week and still su埩�ers to maintain his rent."

Community policingAll three candidates agreed on the need to proactively reach an e埩�ective relationship between Columbia police o埫�cers and residents.

Ru埫�n recounted his personal experience spending a day with two o埫�cers, telling how they collected forgotten backpacks at public

parks, tried to meet new people and ended their day reading to kids in a school.

"What they do is not what we think," he said, adding that trust and respect are necessary to forge a healthy relationship. 

Kelley agreed that the public's perception of police can be skewed.

"Police o埫�cers don't just drive and solve crimes," she said. "They're working with people, and they have the initiative to meet

neighbors." 

Hutchinson reminded the audience of the funding the Police Department requires: "To increase public safety we need to throw more

money, build new o埫�ces, seek better training. The amount of calls that 911 receives is incredible."

Supervising editor is Scott Swa埩�ord.