Seven people want to serve on the Burlington City Council, but only six will make it to the November ballot following the primary election Oct. 5, when voters will be asked to vote for only three.
Incumbents mayor Jon Billups, mayor pro-tem Lynda Murray and councilman Matt Rinker are up against mechanic Terry Schnack, Burlington Express coach Antonio Bailey, the Rev. Chris Roepke and Army veteran Jeff Knotts.
Each candidate was asked by The Hawk Eye to complete a questionnaire regarding where they stand on the issues facing the city of Burlington. Here's what Schackhad to say.
Biography:I was born in Davenport, Iowa on Sept. 26, 1956. I resided on a farm by Stockton, Ia. I attended Durant Community Schools and graduated in 1974. I attended Iowa State University and Muscatine Community College graduating with an Associate Degree in Engine Technology. I am currently married to my wife, Angela. We have 3 grown children and seven grandchildren. I moved from Muscatine to the Burlington area in 2007. In 2009 I opened Christian Automotive Repair Services (C.A.R.S.) and currently employ 6 people.
What made you run for city council?:I have had the opportunity to see the kind hearts and souls in this community. I have seen many good things in our community but unfortunately have also seen some of the not so good things. So instead of sitting back and complain about the bad I decided I can make a difference for the better. In a position of city council I feel it gives me the best opportunity to make some of the not so good better.
I attended the 2021 Burlington Citizen's Academy with the intent of running for city council this fall. I learned a lot about the inner workings of the City and the different departments. Again, I saw many good things and some that I feel could use some improving on.
I have worked very hard at everything I have done and I know if given the opportunity I will work hard for my community to make it the best possible! I want to make people say with pride, "I'm from Burlington, Iowa!"
What previous leadership or civic experience do you have?: I was heavily involved in the Durant Jaycees organization. I am a past president of the chapter and was awarded one of the top ten in the nation as a District Director. While a Durant Jaycee we worked to better that community. We held programs and raffles to raise money to start the volunteer ambulance service. We did the same thing to start a new city library. For many years the Durant Jaycees chapter was ranked very high in the State of Iowa.
I am a licensed insurance agent in the State of Iowa. I worked for Lee Insurance Agency from 2005 - 2007 with personal lines and commercial lines licenses. My licenses are not currently active as I have chosen to leave the insurance world but I do have a very good understanding about insurance.
I am also a business owner of C.A.R.S. in West Burlington since August of 2009. I employ six people. Understanding leadership and business sense is essential. Managing finances, customer relations, and time management are just a few of the things necessary to operate a successful business.
I am also a graduate of the Burlington Citizen's Academy for 2021. I learned a lot about the workings of the City of Burlington.
How should the city council make Burlington ‘a great place to live work and play?’: The City Council needs to keep in mind that they are to be looking at what is best for all of the community. Foremost , making them be and feel safe. Making certain our firefighters, ambulance service, first responders, and police officers have what they need for them to be able to provide this safety. We need better and higher paying jobs brought to this area. We need to look at our local economy and see what can be done to improve it. We need to take care of the things we already have such as the parks, swimming pool, streets, etc. And not end up with another Cascade Bridge problem.
Once these issues are met then we need to look at what other amenities are needed to support all of this.
What is the biggest issue Burlington faces?: This is a tough question as I feel there are several big issues that will need to be addressed. But the biggest one I feel is the safety of the citizen's of Burlington. So many times one can read on Facebook questions about whether that noise was fireworks or gunfire. Shootings have become way to commonplace in the last couple years. Or read about vehicles being broken into, bicycles stolen, even someone running naked down the street or up in a tree! Safety is the most important issue.
What is one issue that needs more attention: I want to see value for the tax dollars being spent in our city.I want these tax dollars being spent to be a benefit for all of our community. Community needs are what should be driving city projects and not necessarily grant money available. I think the city council has this backwards and many projects are currently "grant" driven and not "need" driven.
More:Close the gap between city, community: Meet Burlington City Council candidate Antonio Bailey
More:An eye on curbing population decline: Meet Burlington City Council candidate Jon Billups
More:'Smart, common sense and real': Meet Burlington City Council candidate Jeff Knotts
More:'Keep its eyes on the horizon': Meet Burlington City Council candidate Lynda Murray
More:'More progressive policies': Meet Burlington City Council candidate Matthew Rinker
More:'Take care of the infrastructure: meet Burlington City Council candidate Chris Roepke
