Eight candidates debate crime, growth, drinking
Thursday, October 11, 2007 7:14 AM PDT
By Tony Lystra and Amy M.E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleCandidate for four Longview City Council positions debated how to reduce crime, liven up downtown and whether to allow alcohol at community events at a debate Wednesday night at Longview City Hall.
The televised, two-and-a-half hour event was sponsored by the Longview Chamber of Commerce, KLTV and The Daily News. It featured one-on-one debates for each council race and included discussions about allowing commercial development near Lake Sacajawea, easing congestion on Ocean Beach Highway and whether the city should build a dog park.
KLTV will rebroadcast the debate at 5 p.m. Saturday on channel 29.
Here's are some of the highlights.
Longview City Council Position 1: Kurt Anagnostou v. Adora Greenwood
Asked what anti-crime initiatives the candidates wanted to initiate, incumbent Kurt Anagnostou said he hoped to get more youth involved with the police force by encouraging them to go on ride-alongs with officers. He said he also favored similar low-cost, "innovative" programs aimed at getting "children out of the drug culture," such as police mentoring and cadet programs.
His opponent, Adora Greenwood, said the city simply needs more police officers. "It's a fact," she said.
When the candidates were asked whether Ocean Beach Highway should be zoned for commercial use as it passes the north end of Lake Sacajawea, Greenwood said commercial zones should have been pushed farther away from homes than they already are. Nearby residents, she said, complain of obtrusive lighting and noise from freight trucks.
Anagnostou said he was pleased with the commercial zones or "pods" for commercial use the council established when it recently revised its comprehensive plan. That, he said, calls for no more commercial uses at the lake's north end, but does establish business zones farther west on Ocean Beach Highway.
Longview City Council Position 2: Ramona Leber v. Chuck Wallace
Asked how the city could improve its livability, incumbent Ramona Leber emphasized the importance of "family wage jobs" and establishing a four-year college. Residents, she said, shouldn't have to drive to Vancouver or Portland to get an undergraduate degree.
Wallace said he would be open to the suggestions from incumbents and said he's heard residents asking for an Olive Garden restaurant. He said he wanted to provide incentives for new businesses to come into the downtown district. He also said the district needed smarter zoning laws, saying it was inappropriate to have the city's senior center next to a casino and night club.
The candidates were also asked whether they favor selling alcohol at community events such as July's Go 4th festival at Lake Sacajawea and last weekend's Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Longview. Neither event served alcohol, but the council has debated more than once in recent years whether beer should be sold at community events.
Leber said research shows that when communities sell alcohol at festivals, "we put our children at risk" of future problems. She said she would not favor "having alcohol for sale out in the street, out in the open."
But Wallace said he would support "responsible drinking" at community events.
"I don't know Oktoberfest without beer," he said.
Longview City Council Position 4: Chet Makinster (incumbent) v. Ken Botero
Asked whether the cities of Longview and Kelso should merge, neither candidate was willing to totally make the leap. Candidate Ken Botero noted that the cities have distinct identities and have tried before to consolidate services without lasting success.
"I think it's still in the workable stages that there are some services we could combine," Botero said.
Incumbent Chet Makinster agreed, saying the two communities should work together where possible.
Regarding the many thrift stores, pawn shops and tattoo parlors that fill downtown Longview's storefronts, Botero said, "There's nothing for the working people to come to after hours." He would like to see the Longview Downtowners Association bring "meaningful, modern stores" into ground-level shops, he said.
Makinster pointed out that downtown building owners must instigate such a change, not the city.
"It can't be from the top down. It's got to be from the bottom up," he said.
Longview City Council Position 5: Don Jensen (incumbent) v. Benjamin Harrison
When asked whether they had specific ideas in mind to reduce crime, candidate Benjamin Harrison suggested that landlords and police work together to clean up the city. Landlords should screen tenants better and not rent to drug addicts, he said.
Incumbent Don Jensen said he thinks education is key to lowering the crime rate, with a special focus on repeat offenders.
"We throw 'em in jail and let them sit there, and we're not educating them," he said.
Both candidates said they see a need for a combined community center and senior center in Longview. They also support an off-leash dog park in the city.
Jensen said it hasn't come to fruition yet because Friends of Off-Leash Areas is still trying to raise money for fencing. Harrison said a dog park would economically benefit the city and improve citizens' quality of life, as has been the case in other communities.
"Let's get this funded and get it in," he said.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories