Roberts, Vanek express differing views at meeting

Colfax mayoral candidate Jeremiah “JW” Roberts, standing, introduces himself at the League of Women Voters candidate forum Monday night while incumbent Todd Vanek looks on.

One term incumbent Todd Vanek and JW Roberts responded with different views on several questions Monday night at the candidates forum conducted by the Pullman League of Women Voters in the Colfax library. The two Colfax mayoral candidates responded to questions for the first 50 minutes of the program with emcee Mary Collins relaying questions from the audience.

Chickens in town, a proposed Colfax industrial zone, employee resignations, the St. Ignatius annexation and the proposed Colfax-Pullman trail were among topics presented via questions from the audience.

Roberts stressed his aim of restoring the downtown area to a viable business district. Roberts, who was raised in Colfax, recalled the days when it was impossible to ride a bicycle downtown because of the number of businesses and the heavy customer traffic.

Roberts said he didn't support recently proposed plans to develop some type of Colfax industrial zone. He said he felt “we lose the culture of Colfax” with industrial development.

Vanek again repeated his aim to build up businesses to generate more revenue for the city via sales and other taxes. He said one of the major problems faced by Colfax was the lag in revenue compared with the growing costs of operating the city.

Vanek pointed out one of the aims with the industrial zone proposal would be to have a place to offer sites for some major Colfax businesses in the event they decide to move. He noted any relocation decision in the future by some of the town's top businesses, such as Jones Truck & Implement and Spokane Seed, would probably result in a move outside of the city limits and a subsequent loss in city revenue.

On the question about turnover in city staffing, Roberts said he believed the city should do a better job of vetting job applicants before hiring them. He noted two employees on the city hall staff left their positions a short time after they were hired.

Vanek in his response said the city's turnover problem has ended. He pointed out many employees departed because of retirement, one of the newly hired employees was terminated and the other left for personal reasons.

In response to a question on the Colfax “speed trap” reputation, Roberts said he didn't see the need for the city to install a reader board sign alerting motorists as they approach the city because the town's speed trap reputation wasn't really valid.

Vanek answered the reader board sign suggestion with a single word: yes.

Asked about the proposed Colfax-Pullman trail on the former Union Pacific railroad line, both candidates pointed out other needs for capital spending in Colfax.

Roberts said he believes the city now has “bigger things to do.”

Vanek listed a series of meetings the city has had with groups involved with the trail proposal, including property owners and representatives of the Pullman Civic Trust, proponents of the trail. Vanek noted the last two city surveys listed development of trails as the number-one recreation need for Colfax. He added completion of such a trail would make Colfax a destination point for out-of-own bike riders.

Roberts said he believed the city failed to listen last week to residents of the south hill of Colfax who asked the city council to delay a decision on annexing 1.59 acres south of the former St. Ignatius Hospital building for a proposed housing project.

Vanek pointed out the aim was to get the site all in the city's jurisdiction and any proposal would still have to go through the city's planning commission and the recently revised development ordinance. Vanek added one of the people who objected to city council action last week had since contacted him and said he didn't realize the process the building project would have to face.

Again asked about the chickens-in-Colfax debate, both candidates said the city council would have to observe the terms of the city's nuisance ordinance to ensure chicken raising doesn't become a problem for neighbors. Vanek, who pointed out the decision will have to be made by the city council, said he personally favored keeping chickens in town to supply his family with eggs.