Candidates for Newton City Council discuss top issues, hot topics and more

Editor’s note: The following is the first in a series of articles covering the forums hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jasper County. In the interest of space and to not conflict questions featured in the Newton News candidate Q&As, we featured responses to questions not asked before and most related to the city.

Three chairs were left empty on the stage of the League of Women Voters forum, leaving only six candidates to answer questions from the audience regarding city issues, while those who were absent had a representative read from prepared statements encouraging all to visit the meet-and-greet planned the same night.

In lieu of face-to-face chit-chats with constituents in between bites of barbecued meat and glugs of cold beer at the American Legion Post 111, the six candidates at the forum sat in the spotlight in chairs and faced an attentive audience in the DMACC auditorium. If you sat close enough, you could see them sweat.

It wasn’t long before someone asked a tough question, a question that left some candidates stumped: “We have heard about the need for more police, parks, roads and other amenities, and the desire to reduce taxes. These are obviously in conflict. Where would you advocate that we spend less?”

Joel Mills, a candidate for the at-large seat on the Newton City Council, said city budgets are usually well-thought out and planned in advance. There are plans in place that may not be benchmarked as much he would like, but the city tends to know what it will bring in and how much it can spend in a fiscal year.

“So you can’t always, you know, what’s the phrase, have this and then have that and then have that as you’re going through the grocery store,” Mills said of the city budgeting practices. “Sometimes you have to tell your 9-year-old daughter, ‘No, we can’t have all that.’ Because it all costs money.”

Mills advocated for the city to continue having proper planning sessions and to educate residents on how much or how little Newton can spend on specific areas of the budget and explain how it can affect other areas. He also pointed out that the city posts its finances on the website, and suggested residents check it out.

“If residents review first and maybe — maybe — try to complain later, that could be a benefit,” Mills said.

Cassandra Pence, who is also running for city council at-large, said it doesn’t make sense to her why certain administrators are paid “far and beyond” the average of administrators in other similarly sized cities. She questioned if the six-figure salary workers are going to pay to fix the roads with their extra income.

“I think our entire budget needs to be re-looked over,” she said, later noting she would look forward to learning more about city budgets. “…I’m sorry, I’m probably getting this number wrong, but $370,000 for a new pickleball court? The road that gets you to the pickleball court is tore up. That, to me, makes no sense.”

Stacy Simbro, a candidate for Ward 3 on the city council, said when budgets are tight there are ways to save money. Another option the city has is instead of taking a smaller piece of the pie, the city can make the pie bigger by growing Newton’s tax base and bringing more residents and businesses to town.

“We want to have rich amenities, but they don’t come free,” Simbro said, adding that you can’t have champagne tastes with beer wages. “…We’re going to have to have priorities, which is great, but I think when we look at these projects that spend a lot of money that people talk about, what’s the scrutiny on them?”

The city budget cannot always be about “pinch, pinch,” Simbro added. It’s about pinching the right places and growing the right spot. Ron Bookout, a candidate for the at-large council seat, recalled his experience going to the city council’s goal setting workshop and the amount of projects that were considered.

“There was like 26 projects we have but only so much money,” he said. “I think every citizen should sit in it before they say anything on dog parks and whatever. Something has to give to negotiate and make some compromises on it … There’s a lot of misunderstandings.”

Projects like the clubhouse and airport that can generate money, which Bookout said should be focused on. But at the same time, the city cannot work outside its budget. Jerry Chandler, another at-large candidate, prefaced his answer would not likely make him many friends, and then he questioned if parks make money.

“Yes, Maytag Pool does,” Chandler said. “The pickleball courts, are they going to generate any income or are they free will? You go and play and that’s it? Ask the citizens of Newton. It’s their tax dollars. What do they think Newton needs? Do we want a $370,000 pickleball court when we have several tennis courts?”

Chandler went on to claim the tennis courts are never full and then complained outside companies were hired in the bidding process to remove the trees to make way for the pickleball courts. He argued the work could have been finished by local contractors at a cheaper rate, or by parks staff.

Council member Mark Hallam, who is seeking re-election for Ward 1, had the question read back to him before proceeding with his answer.

“Should we spend less on police? My answer is no. Should we spend less on parks? My answer is no. Should we spend less on roads? My answer is no,” Hallam said. “I think we have to proceed on all of these things that are important to making Newton a good place to live.”

Pubic safety, parks and roads are all important amenities. Although parks do not generate much revenue, Hallam said it is an important consideration for people looking at Newton as a place to visit or even move to. There is no one area the city can cut without affecting the quality of life of residents, he added.

“That’s not to say there can’t be cuts made here and there. I mean, good heavens, I won’t go into specifics, but I could think of a few cuts that could be made here and there,” Hallam said. “But when it comes to the basics like public safety, public amenities, roads? No. The only way to accomplish these goals is by growing our tax base.”

Inspection programs for commercial properties and rental properties

The rental inspections and commercial inspections programs were frequently discussed at council meetings this past year. Candidates were asked: “What is your opinion on a city business inspection, since this is a hot topic? Are you also aware that Newton Main Street has nothing to do with this?”

Every candidate was quick to acknowledge Main Street has nothing to do with inspections mandated by the City of Newton. Pence applauded the inspections as a great idea, saying it held landlords accountable for their homes that were in disrepair, and it also held business owners accountable, too.

Simbro argued inspections are good when performed ethically and the right way. He is also a firm believer that good businesses make good neighbors, and good businesses are OK with being inspected; it is part of the cost of doing business, and it also contributes to a safer community for all.

Inspections for rental homes and businesses are much needed, Bookout said. Some of the landlords, he added, are “not very good” at keeping properties up to code. But he also described inspections as a “necessary evil.” Chandler, who operates his own plumbing business, has worked for landlords and “slumlords.”

So of course they need inspected, Chandler said, because it’s common sense. It “does not take a rocket scientist” to figure out that Newton businesses and rental properties need inspections, he added. Most landlords are doing a good job, he said, but slumlords need to be fined or have their properties shut down.

Hallam also advocated for a commercial inspections program in the city. For a number of years, it was outsourced. This year it has since been transitioned to the responsibility of the fire marshal, a position that has not been filled — but was divided amongst several people — since 2019. To Hallam, this subject is settled.

By having the inspections outsourced through a contractor, Mills said the program was not effective. After learning inspections were coming back in-house, Mills was happy and appreciative. He also said the third party utilized for the inspections did not do the best job, and he understood the frustrations.

Making Newton a safer community, addressing homelessness

In total, about 10 questions — not counting introductions — were asked of the candidates. About halfway through the forum, the League of Women Voters asked candidates: “How will you make Newton a safer community and at the same time address the homeless issue?”

Chandler argued police officers are not being paid what they’re worth, adding that administrators with six-figure salaries are not worth that much and that the money should instead go to the Newton Police Department. Officers, he said, are putting their lives on the line every day they show up for work.

“This town isn’t what it was when I grew up,” Chandler said. “You had a couple of fist fights. You had somebody drunk at the shopping center. To me, those are minor deals. Now we have people stabbing people at Dollar General. We have people breaking into homes. We have people that don’t care.”

In response to the homelessness issue, Chandler claimed there were no people experiencing homelessness when he grew up in town. He also said he attempted to help some of the individuals experiencing homelessness in town, and from what he can gather they do not want help.

“If you want to work, you don’t have to be homeless,” Chandler said.

To make Newton a safer community, Hallam said the city needs to increase the affluence of the people who are already here and bring in more people. Getting people more involved in their neighborhood groups would also help, he added. Statistically, Hallam said crime rates in Newton are going the right direction.

“Part of that is because the last several city councils have increased funding for the police department so we can maintain better staff,” Hallam said.

Hallam also said he sees the homelessness issue first-hand in his neighborhood on a regular basis. Unfortunately, he said it is not just a Newton problem. If it was a Newton problem, maybe it could be fixed. But it’s a nationwide social problem. Hallam was candid in response, saying, “I don’t know what to do about that.”

Mills admitted homelessness could be a touchy subject, noting mental health could be a contributing factor. But, if elected, he said would advocate for supporting core partnerships in the community that help those individuals throughout the year, whether it be the Newton YMCA or Discover Hope.

“As far as making Newton a safer community, I think we’re an incredibly safe community,” Mills said. “That’s one of the reasons I relocated my family here.”

Low unemployment also keeps crime rates low, he argued. Pence also agreed homelessness is not a Newton problem, but rather a national problem.

“Can it be fixed? Ultimately, not 100 percent. But can there be help for that? Most definitely,” Pence said. “I know a lot of the individuals here in town that are homeless. They get themselves into trouble, end up in jail and are then immediately released again the next day … Is jail the right way? No.”

But Pence feels like there should be some kind of transition program in place to help get them where they need to be, rather than be back on the streets. She acknowledged some organizations are already in place to help with that, but others may be needed. Pence also agreed Newton is already safe.

“We have police officers that are out there. I see them out there driving. Maybe they should be doing a little bit more neighborhood patrolling, but other than that I think we’re on the right track for safety in this town,” Pence said. “Yeah. We’re doing OK.”

Simbro said transitional programs are good, and there are a lot of churches in town that could be partners in those programs. He also emphasized the mental health aspect brought up by Mills, saying it is not well understood and still tends to be stigmatized. To him, it is sometimes the root of some of the problems.

“Cops are social workers. Teachers are social workers. We put a lot on these folks. As a community, we need to find better solutions,” Simbro said. “Some of these folks are never going to change. That’s the way it is in all societies. But there are people that will. What’s the transitional program we have?”

Bookout said the way to make the community safer is by cooperating with the police and fellow citizens. Know who your neighbors are, he said, and be willing to call the police in the event something happens. He also advocated for police officers being trained to help people with mental illness and drug abuse.

“It is a big issue because they are people and it needs addressed,” Bookout said. “Since winter is coming on, God forbid someone passes away and they don’t have adequate housing. It should be addressed. If you build homeless shelters, if you build it they will come. We don’t want that either.”