Council and School Board Candidates go on the Record
Tuesday April 5th is Election Day. Four Candidates – Pam Forbes, Darrell Foster, Fred Schmidt, and Mitch Richards- are competing for First Ward City Council seat. Helen Anthony and Glen Ehrhardt are running for Fifth Ward City Council seat. Three open seats for three-year terms on the School Board are being contested by Sarah R. Dickson, Liz Peterson, Dave Raithel, Tom Rose, Jonathan Sessions, and Helen Wade.
To help you decide whom to vote for, we posed a series of questions relating to PedNet’s mission to the candidates. Here are their responses:
- First Ward City Council Candidates
- Fifth Ward City Council Candidates
- Columbia Public Schools Board of Education (3-year term seats)
First Ward City Council Candidates
- Do you support PedNet's vision of a growing network of paths, trails and multimodal streets throughout Columbia, enabling and encouraging people to use healthy, active modes of transportation for some journeys?
Pam Forbes Yes, I support PedNet and its vision.
Darrell Foster I can give a yes to all of your questions, however, how to implement these questions is the question. You mention inclusion, what will that be based on? Input, where will it generate from? Will it be pulled up or still pushed down? When the goals of organizations like PEDNET are to up lift the community count me in.
Fred Schmidt Yes. I have been a member of PedNet since 2004 and have worked to promote on-street and off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities for both transportation and recreation. I was the PedNet Policy Coordinator from about 2004-2006. I have been a member of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission since 2004. I worked for the GetAbout program in 2007 and was a member of the mayor’s Nonmotorized Transportation committee from 2006 to the present. I am a regular commuter by bicycle and on foot.
Mitch Richards Yes. I support a vision of transportation infrastructure that is supportive of a healthy community. In fact, I intentionally moved to the downtown area in order to live a pedestrian lifestyle. The city center is where I choose to live. I have nothing against those that prefer living in suburban areas on the edge of town, though I do find downtown to be much more livable. I do drive occasionally, but my automobile largely sits unused most days.
- Do you support Columbia's current street design standards, enacted in 2004, which ensures that new streets are built to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users as well as cars?
Pam Forbes I support the current street design standards.
Darrell Foster Yes.
Fred Schmidt I supported the street standards when they came before the Bicycle and Pedestrian commission. The commission has routinely reviewed road and intersection designs to comment on compliance with the standards. I am treasurer of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Foundation and the Missouri Foundation for Bicycling and Walking, which advocates and educates for Complete Streets policies at the local level throughout Missouri and at the state level. The FHWA promotes “context sensitive solutions”, which roughly translated means that state and local DOTs are encouraged by the US DOT to consider that streets are not just for moving cars between destinations, but to serve all modes of transportation, and more importantly to serve as a part of the neighborhoods through which they pass. That is, the street is part of the environment itself. So there are three roughly equivalent movements - street standards, complete streets, and context-sensitive solutions, all working towards the same goal.
Mitch Richards Yes. Our streets must be designed to do more than simply get cars from point A to point B. Streets should be designed to allow for all types of multimodal transportation. People choose non-motorized transportation options (myself included) for many reasons -- health, environmental, financial, etc. We must not forget that car ownership is often not affordable for many lower-income members of the community. This is particularly clear in the First Ward, where unemployment is likely over 20%. The recent spike in gas prices and the likelihood that these high prices may be the norm for the foreseeable future make automobile transportation even more costly. Planning new streets for largely car-only use could prove to be a bad investment in both the short and long term.
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Would you support an enthusiastic application by the City of Columbia to compete for an extension of federal funding (the GetAbout Columbia project) to improve community health, reduce public expenditures on roads, and benefit the environment through the creation of a bicycle/pedestrian network, if a competitive grants program becomes available as proposed by members of the U.S. Congress?
Pam Forbes I hope the grants program will be available.Darrell Foster Yes. I think PedNet is a good mission that is doing a lot of good things for the people of the First Ward.
Fred Schmidt Yes. Columbia is an excellent candidate for continuation of this as a pilot program. There are several problems - congestion, air quality, the obesity and inactivity epidemic, leading to chronic disease epidemics, and quality of life (i.e. fun) - that all have the same solution. Although there has been some grousing about the NMTP, it has brought Columbia Federal money for construction and jobs, and moved Columbia far up the ladder as a city of the future.
We tend to harp on the quality of life and health issues, but this is also an economic issue. In order to attract the businesses of the future such as IBM, we must provide a high-quality living environment. This is not to discount plain-vanilla infrastructure (roads, airport, electric, water, etc) but to say that that’s not the entire picture. People want a good place to live, a good place for their families. To compete, we need this.Mitch Richards Although I support working to improve public health, reduce public expenditures, and create a bicycle/pedestrian network, I am ever leery of Federal funding. Even former Mayor Hindman and GetAbout Columbia manager Ted Curtis have said that they wish the Federal funds were granted to our local community with more discretion, but, by definition, they come with Federal red tape. If a grant becomes available, I would support Columbia applying for another round of funding because we still have a long way to go. I am also aware that it is a risk to depend on these funds in the future, as the current congress may not be able to approve the funding going forward. As an avid pedestrian, I fully support enabling and encouraging multi-modal forms of transportation, though I also understand that well thought out and proactive road infrastructure is the key to improving Columbia's economy. Even IBM confirmed this in its statement regarding a trail extension to their building on Lemone Industrial Blvd. A strong economy leads to higher tax revenues with which we can support infrastructure for all forms of transportation.
Do you support the Columbians for Modern, Efficient Transit (CoMET) campaign, whose goal is to achieve health, economic, and environmental benefits for individual families and the entire community by expanding Columbia Transit's service and (if you do) what will you seek to do as a member of the City Council to support that effort?
Pam Forbes As a Council member I will draw attention to the revenue and emissions benefits of a transit system that will better serve the working population.
Darrell Foster Yes. I think it can generate a lot of opportunity for people in the First Ward.
Fred Schmidt Yes. I am a member of the CoMET campaign. In order for bus service to be viable, it needs to run more frequently and to more places. Then people can rely on it. This will be very costly, so we should begin planning and building support. In the meantime, large private employers and apartment complexes have shuttles. It would be great to continue to fold these shuttles into the bus system, or at least encourage scheduling and other cooperation. The existence of these private shuttles indicates that economic forces are already there to drive public transit in this direction. Do we have to be patient? Yes. Not everyone shares the vision. But we can continue to study, cooperate with MU and private entities, and seek grants and other opportunities as they arise. I am sure that other, as yet unknown opportunities will come before council. In the meantime, we can foster dialog and keep the issue on the table.Mitch Richards I am a strong proponent of reforming the Columbia Transit service. The system needs to be more efficient and the schedule should be easier to understand. Buses that consistently run on time with routes and schedules that serve people where and when they work would better serve Columbia's workforce. Improving the system will improve ridership and move it closer to solvency. As a member of the City Council I will promote a strong, public voice on this issue. Public transportation is especially important to the First Ward and I intend to represent my constituents accordingly. The sidewalks, bike lanes and trails need to feed into the bus network, and vice-versa.
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Will more parking structures solve downtown Columbia's parking dilemma? Other suggestions include alternative parking fee rates, improved bus transit, a free hop-on-hop-off shuttle, experiments with closed streets, and other incentives to encourage downtown visitors to bike, walk, use transit or park once then walk. Do you support ideas such as these or have other ideas to remedy this situation?
Pam Forbes I like the idea of a shuttle. It could go to the parking garage and the bus station. I am also concerned about distracted driving due to texting and cell phone use in our city.
Darrell Foster Yes.
Fred Schmidt I’d love to see the Shakespeare’s shuttle expanded greatly. Its mere existence demonstrates the viability of a downtown shuttle system (of whatever nature) to park and walk. One could argue that parking structures increase land use density by eliminating surface parking. Increasing density decreases the need to drive, and increases the benefit/efficiency of walking, cycling, and taking a shuttle. One could argue either way - that parking structures are part of the problem, or part of the solution. I tend to believe in a “many small solutions” approach rather than a reliance on any one. I can envision a Columbia with parking structures for those who choose to drive, or need to (the elderly, people with disabilities, etc) combined with increased fees to pay for the costs, and increased incentives (rather, amenities, or conveniences) such as shuttles, bike stations, etc to facilitate a healthier, happier, more social lifestyle.
I’d encourage everyone to read the Columbia Herald article, January 3, 1902, “Columbia one Hundred Years Hence
”. I imagine that Columbia of 2100 could look a lot more like the Columbia of 1900 than the one of today. Market and social forces will take us that way - our job as leaders is to show the way, and open doors as appropriate. Mitch Richards If Transit were functioning better, more middle-income citizens would consider it a reasonable option for at least part of their transportation needs. We also need to look into how Columbia Transit can coordinate with other mass-transit providers for regional and national service: Mo-X, Megabus, shuttles to Columbia Regional Airport, and/or commuter busing to Jeff City, Boonville, Centralia, etc. We need to reach out to potential partners.
Fifth Ward City Council Candidates
- Do you support PedNet's vision of a growing network of paths, trails and multimodal streets throughout Columbia, enabling and encouraging people to use healthy, active modes of transportation for some journeys?
Helen Anthony I absolutely support PedNet's vision of a growing network of paths, trails and multimodal streets throughout Columbia. As a Planning & Zoning Commissioner, I have voted to approve the extension of trails as proposed by Park & Rec and have supported PedNet projects.
Glen Ehrhardt Yes. I have lived in Columbia for 32 years and regularly use our streets and trails to bike and run and I support PedNet’s efforts to enable and encourage persons to use for exercise and alternative transportation. It is important to note as well that one of the livability factors IBM looked out in selecting Columbia was our fine park and trail system.
Do you support Columbia's current street design standards, enacted in 2004, which ensures that new streets are built to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users as well as cars?
Helen Anthony Yes
Glen Ehrhardt Yes, and it is important to note there are also ADA requirements the city must comply with as well in certain circumstances.
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Would you support an enthusiastic application by the City of Columbia to compete for an extension of federal funding (the GetAbout Columbia project) to improve community health, reduce public expenditures on roads, and benefit the environment through the creation of a bicycle/pedestrian network, if a competitive grants program becomes available as proposed by members of the U.S. Congress?
Helen Anthony The GetAbout Columbia project is a wonderful project that has received national attention. I would enthusiastically support an application to compete for federal funding to improve community health, reduce public expenditures on roads and benefit the environment through creation of bicycle/pedestrian network. This is the kind of project that improves the quality of life in Columbia!Glen Ehrhardt While I support applying for grant funds, if available, I have substantial concerns about the federal budget deficits and my support for a request of federal funding of this type would depend on what assistance was being sought and how it would be paid for without adding to the unsustainable budget deficits the federal government has run in recent years.
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Do you support the Columbians for Modern, Efficient Transit (CoMET) campaign, whose goal is to achieve health, economic, and environmental benefits for individual families and the entire community by expanding Columbia Transit's service and (if you do) what will you seek to do as a member of the City Council to support that effort?
Helen Anthony I do believe that Columbia Transit service should be increased. As a council member I will carefully review the budget to see where we can add to the service. In particular, I would like to make sure that we have maximized all opportunities for partnerships or funding from other sources.Glen Ehrhardt As Columbia continues to grow in the years to come and with increasing fuel costs I do believe we need to consider expanding Columbia’s Transit service when and where practical to do so. The transit routes added for students to travel to and from the University of Missouri campus have been a tremendous success as I witness daily as students utilize this service from Campusview Apartments which is adjacent to my office building.
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Will more parking structures solve downtown Columbia's parking dilemma? Other suggestions include alternative parking fee rates, improved bus transit, a free hop-on-hop-off shuttle, experiments with closed streets, and other incentives to encourage downtown visitors to bike, walk, use transit or park once then walk. Do you support ideas such as these or have other ideas to remedy this situation?
Helen Anthony I would consider all ideas that could decrease our reliance on cars, however, we have to carefully balance those ideas with keeping our downtown economically vibrant. It is not an either/or decision in my mind. We need to continue to pursue all incentives to encourage visitors to bike, walk and use transit.
Glen Ehrhardt As Columbia continues to grow we will need to add parking structures to meet the demands of vehicular traffic and to insure a vibrant downtown for both residents and businesses. I am a proponent of infill development especially in the downtown area to increase the population base living in the area. When the population reaches a certain point downtown it is only a matter of time until businesses such as a downtown market/grocery store open which will add to the economic viability and livability of the area. As to the various suggestions mentioned I would need to have more information to make an informed decision which would also involve an opportunity for public input as well as there are pros and cons for each of these items.
Columbia Public Schools Board of Education
Three seats open for a three year term
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Do you support PedNet's vision of a growing network of paths, trails and multimodal streets throughout Columbia, enabling and encouraging people to use healthy, active modes of transportation for some journeys?
Sarah R. Dickson No response.Liz Peterson YES!! I believe that Columbia already has so much to offer in it's parks, trails and green spaces and it is one of the reasons I love living here. As a health educator I am in support of policies and programs that have proven to be effective in promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Research shows that making physical activity a safe, inviting and viable choice for anyone to use as a mode of transportation for some (or all!) journeys useful and impactful way of improving healthy physical activity behaviors. I support CPS, City of Columbia and PedNet's efforts in this vision.
Dave Raithel Yes, in general, but like most people, I might quibble with the appropriateness of some particular location or efficacy of some plan. I live outside the city (east of Lake of the Woods Road, near the new Battle HS), and believe me, unless one is going for a walk or bike ride FOR a walk or a bike ride, there's no place to walk or bike to....
Tom Rose I am very supportive of the efforts of the PedNet Coalition. I have been involved with projects of the coalition and currently serve on the United for Healthy Communities Youth Advocacy subgroup. I am a very physically active person myself and support such activity as key to a better life for everyone.
Jonathan Sessions YesHelen Wade Yes
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Do you support Columbia's current street design standards, enacted in 2004, which ensures that new streets are built to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users as well as cars?
Sarah R. Dickson No response.
Liz Peterson YES!! I am an avid runner and I enjoy running through neighborhoods and frequently use running as a way to get from one place to another. Having safe roads for all travelers is an important and valuable asset as Columbia continues to grow and flourish.
Dave Raithel Yes
Tom Rose I do support the 2004 street design standards and see them as one aspect that makes Columbia an attractive place to live and establish a business.
Jonathan Sessions Yes. I am eager to see the city continue to expand the number of "complete streets" in Columbia.Helen Wade Yes. As a cyclist and a runner, I use these accommodations frequently.
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Do you support efforts to increase the numbers of children walking and biking to school and (if you do) what will you seek to do as a member of the Board of Education to support that effort?
Sarah R. Dickson I am a supporter of children walking and riding their bicycles to school, provided the routes traveled are safe and the distance between home and school is not too great. As a member of the Board, I would encourage the administration of the various schools to work with parents in providing bike racks in secure areas of the school to ensure children's bicycles are not stolen. This might encourage students - with the approval of their parents - to ride bikes to school when the weather permits them to do so.Liz Peterson YES, I DO. I will support and encourage PedNet and similar groups in the community to partner with the district on programs that serve as many of our students as possible. I believe that community groups can provide valuable real world learning experiences for our students and I value these groups as partners with our district. I will support redistricting to include neighborhood areas as much as possible while promoting diversity throughout the district. I will help implement programs that reduce transportation expenses and provide a variety of quality physical activity opportunities.
Dave Raithel Yes. The larger problem, however, is one raised at the Muleskinner's Forum of March 11th: Developers do what they do for their reasons, and the District has to place schools where it can afford to in response. To the extent that the City/County governments and the Board can get Planning and Zoning and the Developers to think in terms of "neighborhoods" and not "housing and roads", the better things would be.
Consider Alpha Hart Lewis - GREAT school building, but not a great place to walk or bike to - and yes, I am old enough to have lived in a neighborhood where NOBODY was bussed to the grade school, everybody biked or walked.
The article in the Trib of 3/16 re the "walking bus" mascot suggested a great point to make: Walking or biking actually lets a kid burn off some of the early morning energy they have which otherwise 1) gets them in trouble for running in the hallways or in the cafeteria getting breakfast which 2) they cannot burn off either because a) they don't have time to play on the school grounds before class starts or b) funding has cut playground supervision so they may not run around and be kids....
I would suggest, however, that proponents try to conceive of more age appropriate promotions. A giant blue shoe might work for K-3, but kids of 10, 11, are already developing a sense that they are too old for what "little kids" like. Everybody should remember the age-hierarchy and pecking order of grade school kids.
But the bottom line problem is this: Whatever the Board can do, whatever the Board can promote, is in reaction to what the owners of capital are allowed to do by the politics we practice.Tom Rose I would encourage all of our schools to participate in the Walking School Bus program. I would advocate for the city and county to make street/sidewalk improvements and maintenance a top priority so that students can walk and bike safely to their schools throughout the year. I am currently also participating in a state wide Safe Routes to Schools subgroup looking at state transportation funding laws and how they affect school district efforts to create more safe routes for students.
Jonathan Sessions Absolutely! I am very concerned about physical fitness and obesity among children and support the efforts of Pednet and others to encourage walking and biking to school. The "walking school bus" is a terrific program. I will encourage the Board to work with school staff and parent groups to foster non-motorized travel to and from school in areas where it is a viable option.
Helen Wade Yes. As a board member, I would include as a consideration the importance of re-drawing our school boundaries in a manner that allows for students to walk and/or bike to school where possible. I would also encourage growth of the walking school-bus program. I know that physical activity helps mental function, attention span, and to alleviate stress. All of those benefits inure to our students, and allow them to grow academically. Thus, support of this programming also is support for academic achievement – and is a must!
For more information about how the candidates feel about PedNet related issues visit The Watchword.
