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Young: Openness, ethics

Retired school psychologist Katherine Young wants to bring more ethics to the city council.

“I think there’s a lack of ethics on the city council,” Young said. “Decisions they make are not kosher. For example, the sale of land at the industrial park.”

A recent city attempt to sell land in the industrial park to a dollar store is something she would not have agreed to do, Young said.

“We have an agreement with Dollar General,” she said. “We should honor that agreement.”

With the retirement of city economic development director Randy Collett, a new economic development director should be hired to help the city grow, she said.

“He is very smart, he’s able to get grants, and I think we need someone who can do that,” she said.

She does say there has not been good cooperation between the city and the county for economic development.

The city also should buy land around the city limits and expand housing, Young said.

“We need to keep people from leaving the city,” she said. “Why did they leave? There are no jobs. That’s been said over and over and over.”

Young said if she were to give letter grades to city staff members, she’d give city administrator Roger Holter a C.

“I think he kind of hides information from the city council,” she said.

She said she does believe the public works department is taking good care of city streets.

Improvements to the city’s electric and water systems should be paid for with rates charged to customers, she said.

However, costs of improving sidewalks should be spread out instead of paid by individual property owners, she said.

A 20-year-old sales tax imposed to pay for infrastructure at the industrial park should be discontinued, she said.

The community’s drug and crime issues cannot be fully addressed by the city because the court system is part of the picture, she said, but changes in policing could help.

“There are certain areas of town where there is more activity, and maybe there should be more police presence in those areas,” she said.

Strengthening condemnation standards and enforcing them would help, too, Young said.

Young has a background in business administration as well as psychology.

“I’m also trained as a grant writer,” she said.

Young said she thinks the city should take a lesson from Hillsboro.

“Why aren’t we thinking outside the box like they are?” she said.

She said new ideas come to the council when new people are elected.

“If you want the same things done that have been done, you elect the same people,” Young said.

She also thinks many people are unsatisfied with the way things are, but afraid of change.

“We’re dealing with fear of the unknown,” she said. “I don’t see a lot of new blood being put in around the county. That’s one reason I signed up for the city is, I don’t like the way it does things. I don’t like this dishonesty.”

Also a candidate for school board, Young said if she is elected to both positions, she could only accept one of them.

Young said resident complaints, such as insufficient accessible parking, should be investigated.

“I think they need to address the complaints and solve the problems,” she said.

What she wants to look back on is having served the citizens of Marion, she said.

Last modified Oct. 21, 2021

 

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