Mayoral candidates detail plans for Chelsea in forum

In the 20 years since its founding, the city of Chelsea has grown from a few hundred residents to thousands, it has brought in new businesses and it has had one mayor.

That’s going to change this August with the upcoming mayoral election.

With Mayor Earl Niven not seeking re-election this year, the spot is open for the first time in 20 years.

To prepare for the upcoming election, about 400 people gathered at Chelsea High School for a mayoral candidate forum sponsored by the Chelsea Business Alliance. Three of the city’s current council members discussed their mayoral campaigns and plans for the city.

“I think that we have a solid foundation for a new city of 20 years of age,” Niven said, as emcee for the night’s events. “The future of Chelsea is in front of us.”

Niven said as the first mayor, he encountered several situations where he was unsure how to act. Working together and asking questions helped make Chelsea the city it is today, he said.

“We’re very proud of where we are today as a city, and these candidates running for mayor have at least served one term on the City Council, so they know the basic rules in running a city,” Niven said. “It’ll be a learning experience as mayor.”

During the forum, each candidate was given the opportunity to introduce themselves; answer eight randomly selected, community-submitted questions and close the night with campaign talk. The three candidates — Dale Neuendorf, Alison Moore Nichols and Tony Picklesimer — discussed topics ranging from the possibility of a municipal court to business recruitment and traffic concerns.

Municipal court

The first question of the night went to Neuendorf, asking his opinion on establishing a municipal court in Chelsea. He said at this time, he is opposed to the idea, and instead favors working with the district court in Columbiana to increase enforcement of traffic violations as well as nuisance ordinances.

“I know that we will have to have a municipal court at some point in time, but a municipal court is expensive,” he said. “It takes a magistrate or clerk of the court, it takes a code enforcement officer, and it takes a part-time judge.”

The same question was presented to Picklesimer later in the forum, and he said a municipal court is a high priority in his campaign. In his first 100 days, Picklesimer said beginning the formation a municipal court is No. 2 on his priority list.

“We are a 20-year-old city, and I believe it’s time for our city to have a municipal court,” he said. “This will assist the sheriff’s department with enforcement of our ordinances and traffic calls of our city. I believe a 20-year-old city should be governing its own roadways.”

Nichols also addressed the topic of a municipal court when discussing the expansion and diversifying of the city’s economy. Establishing a municipal court, she said, would help bring more revenue into the city, which in turn would help expand the economy.

Roads and traffic

Traffic issues and road improvements have been highly discussed issues this election season. Candidates and residents have noted problematic intersections, such as the one at Shelby County 39 and Shelby County47, as well as neighborhood roads that are in poor condition.

As a school bus driver, Nichols said road safety was a top priority when she ran for City Council and continues to be one as she runs for mayor. When asked her plan for road maintenance, Nichols said the city should determine which roads require the most work and then make a public list, prioritizing those roads and showing what order the city would work on problem areas.

“Let the public see that we’re actually taking their needs seriously and marking that off so that they know they have an assurance, a trust that, ‘Well, I’m three down, but I know my road is next,’” Nichols said.

Some roads that need work include those in neighborhoods which were abandoned by contractors or developers who went bankrupt, she said.

When asked about school traffic, Neuendorf said there are many needs that need to be addressed.

“We have a serious problem with traffic turning left when they’re coming from city hall up 39 and trying to turn left down 337 toward Forest Oaks Elementary,” he said. “We need a left-turn lane there; there are several places we need left-turn lanes.”

There is also a need for a traffic light at the Chelsea Park subdivision entrance on U.S. 280 in order to make the intersection safer for school buses, Neuendorf said.

“I will work extremely hard with ALDOT and with the county highway department and with every other agency to push for a traffic light at Chelsea Park subdivision,” he said.

Other intersections requiring attention are the one by Publix and the one by McDonald’s, the latter of which Neuendorf called “a disaster.”

Economic development

As a city with no property tax, Chelsea relies on sales tax for the main portion of its revenue. All three candidates discussed the importance of brining new businesses into the city as a means to expand the city’s tax base.

To bring in new cities, candidates discussed hiring a recruitment firm. Nichols said while looking at new businesses, it is important to make sure the business is a good fit for the city — something she said would benefit the businesses as well as Chelsea.

“We must market Chelsea wisely. Bringing in businesses our community can make successful is just as important as the tax revenue,” she said, “because empty, vacant buildings do not make us more attractive.”

One issue Chelsea faces in bringing in new businesses is the high sewer fees they face from the privately-owned, for-profit sewer company, Double Oak Water Reclamation, the candidates said.

“This represents one of the greatest challenges we face as a city,” Picklesimer said. “It is affecting both our citizens and our businesses on a monthly basis, but it is also adversely affecting our efforts in commercial and retail development.”

Picklesimer said one possible solution for this barrier is to create a tap assistance program for businesses. It would be started by a one-time allocation from the general fund, and businesses would receive assistance based on the tax revenue they would bring to the city, he said.

Neuendorf agreed that sewer fees need to be addressed in the city but said he is opposed to helping pay for the rates.

“The real answer to that is we need to get the high sewer tap fees and the high sewer usage fees down to a reasonable level and not have to pay businesses to come to Chelsea,” he said.

Alongside discussions of potential projects came budgetary discussions. Candidates emphasized the importance of maintaining a solid budget and not extending the city’s debts.

“I want to be a conservative mayor,” Neuendorf said. “I want to look at every possibility that we can look at, but I want to make sure we are able to pay back every dollar that we have to borrow in a reasonable manner and not expand on our debt more than it is now.”

As a former business owner whose business had a budget similar to Chelsea and a staff of a similar size, Picklesimer said his experience would benefit him in maintaining the city’s finances.

Communication

Candidates also were asked how they would improve the city’s website, which the questioner described as “outdated” and infrequently updated.

“It’s true, our website is very hard to maneuver, and people are frustrated with it,” Nichols said, “but the real issue is that we need to get the information on there and we need to communicate that to the webmaster, to get the information not only for what our City Council is doing.”

Nichols said it is important to create a go-to area for all things Chelsea. That website should include information on city business as well as Friday night’s game, places to ask questions and information about local schools, she said.

Picklesimer also said the city’s website is in need of an update, but added that it's important to utilize social media platforms to keep residents, including young families, up to date in a way they can easily access.

“We will offer live streaming of our City Council meetings for those who cannot attend meetings and want to watch at a later time,” he said. “The average age of our citizens is mid-30s. What are mid-30s people doing at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night? They’re feeding their babies, kids or working on homework. … If we want our citizens to be more involved, we need to make them more informed.”

In addition to encouraging resident involvement by ensuring city information and council meetings are accessible to residents, Neuendorf said he hopes to create committees to foster communication in the city.

“I plan to have a lot more citizen involvement in the planning process,” he said. “With citizen advisory committees in several key areas, I also want to have town hall meetings and public hearings to make sure we’re working on the right things.”

Nichols noted another means for staying in touch with the community — opening conversation with prominent community leaders.

“While your city government might not see the citizens on a daily, weekly basis, administrators and spiritual leaders [do],” Nichols said. These two resources have their finger on the pulse of our city. I believe it is vital for your mayor to have regularly scheduled meetings with these people to receive guidance, perspective and of course, prayer.”

Anyone who could not attend the forum can listen to a re-broadcast of the event on Kool 96.9 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m.

The municipal election is set for Aug. 23.

For a full list of candidates and links to their candidate profiles, click here.

For a recap of the City Council Candidate Forum which took place on Aug. 7, click here.

For 280 Living’s election guide, click here.