East Campus council seat up for grabs
A city council seat is open in the Sixth Ward.
Published Jan. 24, 2006
Voters in the East Campus area will have to choose between real estate agent Valerie Barnes and Barbara Hoppe, administrative attorney for the state public defender, to fill a city council seat.
The election is April 4.
One of the main issues in the election is the development of the Phillips tract, a large farm under development after being annexed by the city. The developer of the Phillips tract is Barnes' father.
Mark Farnen, an adviser to the Barnes campaign, said because Barnes is a life-long Columbia resident, she has a background in growth in the area.
"A lot of people are concerned and interested in how the city grows, and Ms. Barnes has a unique perspective of how the city has changed from relatively small to quite a bit larger," Farnen said. "She knows a lot of people who live here and can look into the future in a reasonable way."
He said that Barnes' expertise in the real estate and development areas would benefit the council's decisions, even though she might have to disqualify herself from some votes about area in or around the Phillips tract.
However, Hoppe said Barnes connections in the real estate market and to the developers could affect her ability to represent the Sixth Ward.
"The citizens of the Sixth Ward need to know that she may not be able to vote on issues about the two largest developments to ever come before the council because of her interests," Hoppe said. "To deprive the Sixth Ward a vote on developments in the Sixth Ward is a very important issue. She almost has to be torn between what is in the best economic interest of her father and what's in the interest of the public, and I wouldn't want to be in that position."
Brian Ash, who has served only one term on the council, is vacating the seat. Ash is the owner of Bambino's restaurant.
He said he decided not to run for a second term because of his wife's health concerns and their two children.
"I felt it would be selfish not to think of my family when deciding whether or not to run again," he said.
Ash said his biggest accomplishments on the council were being responsive to his constituents, answering their e-mails personally and following his campaign slogan: "Balanced Leadership."
Ash said he hopes the council will be more visionary, and less reactionary. When it comes to development in the city, the council considers issues on a case-by-case basis but needs to have a long-term plan for growth to set a direction for the city to take, he said.
"Both candidates could not be more diametrically opposed," Ash said. "One is an environmentalist who is a leader in the local Smart Growth movement, and the other one is a real estate agent and daughter of a prominent developer. They will both have to work hard to convince voters they are not single-issue candidates."