Candidates file for City Council

Two councilpersons' terms end this year.

By Daniel Ramey and Ryan Schmitz

Published Jan. 23, 2009

Two Columbia City Council seats will be up for grabs in the municipal elections April 7.

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe filed to run for re-election against Rod Robinson, Riback Supply Company's water systems manager. The Sixth Ward includes East Campus and many areas in which students live.

Missouri National Guardsman and teacher Allan Sharrock filed to run the seat vacated Second Ward Councilman Chris Janku.

Hoppe said she hopes to retain her seat so that she can continue the work she started in her first three years as a member of the City Council.

"I have a sense that I know how to get things done and how to listen to the citizens," she said. "I've been encouraged by so many people and I think it would be a good use of the next three years." Hoppe said she has learned a lot through working with different groups and committees as well as attending conference sponsored by the National League of Cities and organizations focused on helping cities grow.
Hoppe said she hopes to get a lot of work done regarding the sustainability of the city should she be re-elected.

"We want to grow the pie but we want to grow it in a way that it will be there in the future," she said.
Hoppe said she wants to build a safe, livable and healthy community while ensuring that the city's citizens actively participate in the government process.

Robison filed his paperwork with the city Tuesday to challenge Hoppe. He said he believes his 36 years as a resident of Columbia will help him to serve the city well.

"I believe I'm a good listener, who knows how to listen to the opinions of others," he said. "We have some very diverse groups in the Sixth Ward, and I believe I can work at the cross-section of all of them." Like Hoppe, Robison identified crime and violence among youth as important issues for the council to address. He said new businesses should be invited to the city to bring in more revenue.

"Crime has spread around town," Robison said. "We need strong law enforcement to reduce the amount of violence among young people, and we should talk about curfews. We need to give youth something to do so they don't go in the direction of crime."

Sharrock believes his experience serving in Iraq with the military reserve unit will give him the skills he needs to succeed as the next Second Ward representative on the council.

"Serving in Iraq with the (National Guard) taught me valuable lessons about leadership, decision-making, and dealing with pressure," Sharrock said. "I've learned how to make sound decisions, which will benefit me if I am elected to the City Council."

Sharrock said he would like to address are job creation, fiscal accountability and public safety. He identified a principal source of Columbia's financial hardships and offered a solution to the problem, while stressing the need for municipal youth programs to improve the lives of young people in the city.

"My view is that we shouldn't ask taxpayers for more money to create new programs," Sharrock said. "Instead, the city government should see if the people want something, then find the money to pay for it ourselves. Youth intervention is key in this community, and we should qualify for federal money to expand our youth programs."

To prepare himself to serve on the council, Sharrock plans to attend as many council meetings as possible before the election. He also wants to set up a blog and pages on MySpace and Facebook to connect with younger voters. Sharrock said he would seek the advice of outgoing Second Ward representative Chris Janku, who has held the seat for 18 years.