Resident Chris Thomas running for Chelsea City Council Place 2

Chelsea resident Chris Thomas is running for Place 2 on city council.

Thomas is a life-long Chelsea resident and said the administrative change the city will see this election season is one thing that encouraged him to run.

“I just feel like we needed some new people in there with new ideas, and I thought we should have someone that’s in there that doesn’t have a second agenda,” Thomas said.

Thomas said as someone who does not have a business to promote or other items on a personal agenda, he would be able to be an unbiased voice for Chelsea residents if elected to city council.

“What I think that helps me is I’m around the people all the time,” Thomas said. “I’ve driven for the band for 24 years too, so I’m always around the people of Chelsea.”

As a bus driver in the City of Chelsea, Thomas said he is very familiar with the city’s roads, including areas that need improvement. Thomas said he would like to see a light at the intersection of Old 280 and Highway 11 because the current flow of traffic makes a left turn off of Highway 11 difficult and causes traffic to back up.

“There’s no way to turn left to get you to [U.S.] 280, so that’s an intersection that I think we’re going to have to work to get a light for,” he said.

Other problem intersections include Old 280 and Highway 47 (Chelsea Road) as well as Highway 47 and Highway 39. Constructing a bridge over the railroad tracks would cost tens of millions, Thomas said, which is too expensive. A cheaper solution he would like to see is using property that goes around the tracks to create an alternative route.

“I think people would be excited that it gave them an option so that they were not at a dead stop when a train came through,” he said.

In addition to improving roadways and traffic flow, Thomas said if elected to city council, he would want to work with businesses and restaurants to bring more of them into the city. High sewer costs are something that deters restaurants from coming to the city, Thomas said, and he would like to work with them to remove that barrier.

“I feel like this is a time we’re really fixing to grow, and we can do things to get more companies and businesses into Chelsea,” he said.

Bringing in more businesses would help ensure the city does not have to add a property tax or other tax on Chelsea residents, but it can continue to pay for new projects. In regard to new projects, Thomas hopes the city will provide areas that appeal to a wider demographic.

“We’ve built a lot of recreational centers that have catered to retired people, we’ve also got to get something that appeals to the youth and younger children,” he said.

By providing areas geared toward younger children, Thomas said it will allow them to remain active without having to leave the community.

In the upcoming administration, Thomas said he also hopes there will be more opportunities for city council members to voice proposals for agenda items. Due to Chelsea’s population size, the city government is structured in a way that the mayor has final say over what is added to a council agenda. This will likely change in 2020 with the next census, if the population reaches over 12,000, and city council members will be able to add to the agenda. In the meantime, if elected, Thomas said he hopes to work with the new mayor to make sure multiple voices are heard before a decision on agenda items are selected.

For more information, visit Chris Thomas Place 2 on Facebook.

Chelsea Park resident Scott Weygand is also running for Chelsea Council Place 2.

The election for Chelsea mayor and five city council seats is scheduled for Aug. 23.

If you are running for city council or mayor in Chelsea, you can reach our community reporter Erica Techo at erica@starnespublishing.com.