Fourth Ward candidates focus on economy
Candidates include a lawyer and Hy-Vee manager.
Published Feb. 9, 2010
Columbia's Fourth Ward council seat is now vacant because Councilman Jerry Wade is running for mayor.
Four candidates look to replace Wade, and each hopeful contender comes from a different background and has a different theory on how he or she can help Columbia. Although the four candidates have different theories, all believe the economy is the central issue.
"We're slow on the economy," candidate Tracy Greever-Rice said. "We have an opportunity to step back and look at a comprehensive long range plan, something you can't do when the economy is at full steam."
Greever-Rice is the associate director of community and economic development at the MU Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis. She said MU and the city need to work together to revive Columbia's economy.
"They're natural partners in so many ways," Greever-Rice said. "Columbians need to appreciate that the university is an economic driver."
An attorney at the Law Offices of S.J. Read, Sarah Read, said the city's cooperation with MU is essential to the success of the economy.
"I think the university and the city have been doing an increasingly good job of working together, particularly in economic development," Read said.
Read, who is also running, said she likes programs, such as MedZou, a student-run free clinic that provides basic health care and education to the residents of Columbia and the university's role as a leader in energy efficiency.
"I think we have a tremendous resource in the students," Read said. "There is no reason we can't create opportunity for student leaders on energy issues and community issues."
Internships and jobs for graduates and students were opportunities Read said she would like to see created.
Rick Buford, a senior network administrator at CarFax, said he wants to mend the economy by first limiting unnecessary spending. Using Facebook as an outlet, Buford criticized Columbia mayoral candidates for excessive spending in their campaigns.
With lower spending as a big piece of his platform, Burford said he plans on getting the most out of each tax dollar if elected.
"Part of the city's job is to spend money, but you have to ask is each dollar worth it," Buford said.
He also doesn't want to be a typical councilman.
"I have no desire to be a politician," Buford said. "To me, the City Council's job is not to sit there and be a part of the consensus."
Daryl Dudley, a Hy-Vee convenience store manager and the final Fourth Ward council candidate, said he wants to use the city's budget more effectively to reduce crime.
"When it comes to the city's budget, we need to give the police and safety patrols as much help as they need," Dudley said.
Although Dudley said he needed to research more on how MU and the city could work more fluently together, he said there needs to be more discussion between the two bodies.
The Fourth Ward council elections will take place April 6, along with mayoral and Third Ward elections.
