Before the biographies of the four candidates running for mayor of Alexander could be published in the The Alexandrian, the accusations and pronouncements of what’s wrong with the city have been flying back-and-forth on Facebook. Since many of the proposals to “fix” the city have already been accomplished, or are in the works, current Mayor Paul Mitchell decided to respond to his three opponents with a post on, what else, Facebook.
Mitchell is running for his third full term as mayor. His opponents are Scott Chaloner, T.J. Gaylor and Chrystal Herrmann. Four years ago Mitchell was unopposed. Now, there’s at least three residents who think the city is falling apart and leadership must change.
“None of the other candidates for Mayor have any experience in the State Laws governing Municipalities nor spent any time even over the years at any City Council meetings,” Mitchell wrote in his Facebook post.
In private conversations Mitchell has said he’s been told Scott Chaloner plans to fire Police Chief Robert Burnett and Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway, then return the current full-time fire department back to volunteer.
“One of the candidates (He, Scott Chaloner you see his signs along the road) wants it [to be mayor] just to fire the Chief of Police so he and his buddy’s can go back to partying up the street from where I live,” Mitchell wrote. And, “[F]ire the Fire Chief also, where the vast majority of employees police and fire will resign, and move the Fire Dept. back to a voluntary Fire Dept. and do away [with] mutual aid where we get help from other Fire Department’s to fight a fire in our city, this should scare everyone in this city.”
“When I took office the County Sheriff’s Office was patrolling nights and week ends in the city and their response times could be as much as 20 to 30 minutes because there were about 2 to 3 total officers in Alexander and none on duty most of the time,” Mitchell continued. “How you vote will determine if we go back to the bad days.”
“Just so the record is straight,” Chaloner posted in a response on Facebook. “I will NOT be turning our fire department into a volunteer status. I will NOT be doing away with mutual aid. However, I will be hiring a new fire chief as well as a new police chief. Our city deserves honesty from department heads and claiming they work 120 hours every 2 weeks when they DO NOT, should be a concern to every tax payer in our city. When all the facts are laid out, the current administration cannot hide from them.”
T.J Gaylor is another Alexander resident running for mayor. So far, aside from comments on Nextdoor, he has been relatively quiet. He also hasn’t responded to the election questionnaire or posted his platform.
“And then there is this other guy who wants to be Mayor,” Mitchell continued. “T.J. Gaylor he has lived in the city about 5 years have not heard from that one yet, he says by living here he now understands small cities, all I know about him is a handyman.”
The one candidate who has posted a platform with any specificity is Chrystal Herrmann. And it’s her proposals that essentially spurred Mitchell’s response on Facebook. When one proposes a course of action the implication is it isn’t being done. As Mitchell makes clear most of what she wants either has been done or is being done.
“[S]he just showed up at our last month’s [August] City Council Meeting for the first time,” Mitchell wrote. “She started off with improper campaign signs and other materials it says Mayor Elect if this is any indication of a Candidate for Mayor, you would think she could get that right. Mayor Elect is to be used after the election and only if you have been elected, she has not been elected.”
Herrmann has since corrected her signs and advertising materials.
“She says our city is not growing as though your eyes are deceiving you, Dollar Store, Big Red, Circle K Store, Marijuana Dispensary,” Mitchell continued. “[O]ur population has increased drastically with the last census which is incorrect but we have to just live with it. We are working with developers on the 65 acres across from Meadows Edge entrance now to be Residential Housing & Multi-Family Housing, will have pool house and swimming pool.”
The “pool house and swimming pool” will be for tenants only. An indication this won’t be your typical multi-family housing development.
“Now to each point she has presented to the public as a Candidate,” Mitchell said.
On her flier Herrmann starts off proposing there be, “[A]n open-door policy to promote a culture of trust, communication, and feedback to ensure all citizens' voices and ideas are heard.”
“I have a [sic] open-door policy,” Mitchell said. “[T]his is a small town and every citizen should have the right to address their Mayor with a problem.”
Next, Herrmann says she will, “[M]ake sure that transparency of all operations and activities including the financial budgets for all city departments are correct, current, and easily available to the citizens.”
About “Transparency operations & financial budgets,” Mitchell says, “It is open to the public in council meeting and to your elected representatives required by law, ask your representative for a copy, we have never been asked for a copy just when election time comes around.”
Herrmann wants to, “[A]ddress our individual neighborhoods' infrastructure needs for repairs, updates, and additions. For Example flooding of city roads and homes, outdated sewer and culverts, and continuing street improvements but making sure that no neighborhood is left behind.”
“We have a street Superintendent who takes those calls,” Mitchell posted. “[W]e have addressed flooding issues all over the city, we have 50 years of collapsing street culverts and have replaced around 15 or more so far, we replace them as we find them.
“The city does not take care of sewer,” Mitchell continued. “[T]hat is the water Dept. [Saline County Water and Sewer] which we have nothing to do with.”
“As far as the streets we have spent around $1,000,000.00 city money and State Aid Money on the streets and another $300,000.00 is coming this spring,” Mitchell said. “We did bus routes first and the main streets on each end of a neighborhood so that every one in that neighborhood when leaving or coming home had a good street. We are now doing the individual cross streets in those neighborhoods. And when we are done not a single ward is being left behind all streets that need it are being overlayed that is our city goal, but remember there are 4 wards in the city neighborhoods and work has to be spread around so the representatives for the people of those wards get equal work.”
On the flooding issue, Brookwood Road is probably known by most drivers as having a flooding problem since it is the connection between Alexander and Bryant. According to Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway the last time Brookwood had to be closed due to flooding was May 19, 2021. Ridgeway says other streets that have had to be closed are Evergreen Drive, Pine Manor Drive, Lindsey Drive, the city park, and South Alexander Road, “maybe once.” The city park acts as a collection basin for Crooked Creek when it floods.
If elected Herrmann will be, “[A]ddressing vacant and abandoned properties for the cleanliness and safety of the city.”
“Because you are so misinformed once again,” Mitchell said. “[T]he city has a Code Enforcement Officer who has either cited the owners properties through out the city or red tagged the dwellings and given them time to clean the property by at least a hundred warnings, for those that do not clean up a ticket is issued. It’s now in the hands of the District Court Judge which either gives more time by many month’s added to the month’s the officer has already given them to clean up, one of those we were working on took close to a year before the court finally fined him, he is paying off part of his fine working for our Street Dept., we do not control the courts all we can do is continue issuing warning and writing tickets.”
Then Herrman makes an accusation, presenting no evidence or examples, that “city owned properties” need cleaning.
She will, “[F]ocus on cleaning up and revitalizing city-owned properties creating a city center to support community outreach programs, parks & recreations for all ages, and city department use. This will make our city more attractive to commercial developers and residents.”
“So misinformed again,” Mitchell retorts. “[S]he just did an FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] to find out what properties the city owns.”
As for creating a city center to support community outreach Mitchell says, “The city has just took possession of our newest Community Center on the old Hospital property will be used for community outreach, heating & cooling center in times of outage, senior ctr. indoor flea markets, rented for weddings, etc., there will be a new splash pad across from the community Ctr. for the public.”
Finally Herrmann wants to, “[W]ork on improving the quality of life in our city. For example, updating 20-year-old playground equipment, restrooms in public parks, crosswalks in high-traffic areas, animal control partnerships, and trash services.
“I have spent 24 years of my life fulfilling a promise to my wife to convince her to move back out to Woodland Hills,” Mitchell starts his final rebuttal. “I started on the Woodland Hills Fire Board 10 years. Worked for annexation into Alexander, took seat on the Alexander City Council 4 years, Elected Mayor 10 years the city was broken, and where were the others all those years now running for Mayor that claim they can do it so much better and faster after I’ve spent years repairing it.
“In the city park,” Mitchell continues. “[Y]es the equipment is old there has been plans to update them, but if people were scared to even go into the park there was no need to update play ground eqpt., so we used the funding to beautify the park and make it safer and more inviting. The restroom’s are already planned, we have already done the water and sewer to be sure it is available [and] we have plans for a 40x60 ft. Stage at the back of the park.”
Earlier this year at a council meeting Mitchell announced that Saline County and other cities are working together to try to develop a county-wide animal control facility. Cities the size of Alexander and smaller don’t always have the man power, facilities and resources to have their own animal control department.
“I am working with the County and others with the Director Bryant Animal Control for a New Facility in Bryant that we all will use,” Mitchell said.
In his final response to Herrmann’s plans Mitchell said, “Trash service has always been a problem, there is no way of billing or enforcing without having there [sic] water attached [to the trash bill].”
Besides the race for mayor three council members have opponents in the November election. Angela Griffin is running against Council Member Jeffery Watson for his Ward 4; Position-1 seat. April Cotton is running against Council Member Juanita Wilson for the Ward 4; Position-2 seat. Incumbent Lonny Chapman, who holds the Ward-2; Position-2 seat, is being challenged by Gina Thomas Littlejohn.
We are attempting to collect information from all the candidates to be printed in The Alexandrian prior to the beginning of early voting.
Editor’s Note: Anything in brackets [ ] indicates an insertion by the editor.
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