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Councilman to challenge mayor

Doug Flanagan/Post-Register
Oct. 22, 2009

Grant County general elections will be held Nov. 3. Jim Hemberry and Keith Anstine are running for the position of Quincy mayor. The Post-Register recently e-mailed Hemberry and Anstine to get their thoughts on a variety of issues.

Hemberry: 'I have the experience'

QVPR: Why are you running for mayor?

JH: The simple answer to this question is that I want to continue serving my community. I have always been involved in our community, including several years working with our youth in Little League Baseball, youth basketball, youth soccer and Cub Scouts, as well as my many years of service as a councilmember and mayor. I believe it is important to give back to my community, and I want to continue doing so by serving as your mayor. I also would like to complete several projects I have started, such as developing administrative policies that provide direction for essential processes, working with the police department to develop community policing strategies and developing short- and long-term goals to make certain the city is able to provide essential services for the community, both now and the future.

QVPR: Why are you the best candidate for mayor?

JH: I believe I am the best candidate based on my 10 years experience as a councilmember and my two years of service as mayor. I also feel my ability to communicate effectively is important for the position of mayor. The role of the mayor of the City of Quincy has evolved to a point where it is very important that the person serving in that capacity be the face of the community. I have extensive experience speaking to groups, both in my role as a city official and in the private sector. I have made presentations to several civic organizations, as well as local and regional leadership groups, and I have met with federal and state legislators to promote the City of Quincy and to solicit support for our community. I also feel I am the best candidate because of my recent retirement from GTE/Verizon after 31 years of service. It is very difficult to devote the time that is required as mayor while holding down a full-time job. It has been very nice since my retirement at the end of July to be able to devote my full attention to the city, and I will continue to do so over the next four years.

QVPR: What education and experience do you have that will allow you to succeed in the position?

JH: The experience I have acquired while serving as a councilmember and mayor has provided me with the background to fulfill the duties of mayor. I have served on every functional committee within the city, and I have a vast knowledge of municipal government and how it works. I have also been active in networking with other community leaders to try and provide regional as well as local solutions to the issues that face our community. In addition, my 5 1/2 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and my responsibilities in the private sector have provided me with the leadership skills necessary to manage your city. My management philosophy is to hire competent people, provide them with the tools and training they need, then get out of the way and let them do their job.

QVPR: If elected, what do you want to accomplish during your time as mayor?

JH: I want to continue to make improvements in the level of service the city provides as a means to improve the quality of life for each and every person in our community.Some of the projects I want to see completed are the construction of a new library, completion of the city's water recycle utility, reconstruction of 6th Avenue in front of the high school and reconstruction of 13th Avenue at Monument Elementary School. I am also looking forward to the opportunity to work our our new chief of police to improve the level of service provided by our police department. I firmly believe the city needs to address issues related to gang activity. It is very disheartening for me that there are people in our community that are afraid to leave their homes due to these issues. I believe that one of the ways we can improve service is to promote community policing. Our police officers need to become more involved in the community to build trust with our citizens, which will open the lines of communication and provide information necessary to deal with gangs and criminal activity.

QVPR: What do you think of your opponent?

JH: I think (there) is a major difference between my opponent and me. My approach to running your city is progressive in that I believe the city should always be searching for new ways to improve our services while my opponent is more satisfied with the status quo. It is important to manage your dollars wisely and I believe in doing so by making strategic improvements that take advantage of cost saving opportunities. I have managed your city budget to provide for such improvements while increasing our reserve funds and cash balances to provide stability in these uncertain economic times. I will continue to provide sound fiscal management and to recommend improvements to the city council that I feel will enhance the quality of life in our community.

QVPR: If elected, what are the biggest challenges you'll face during your time as mayor?

JH: The search for funding for both the library and the water reuse facility will continue to be both challenging and important issues. The city has appropriated money in support of the new library, but additional funding is required to make the project a reality. The water reuse facility received a grant for phases 1 and 1A from the state, but to provide for stable rates for the users, mainly the data centers, additional grant funding is important. I believe another challenge will be to accurately forecast growth in order to assess and revise the city's comprehensive plan to be certain it reflects the true direction the city is headed. The plan was amended a couple of years ago when the belief was that the city may double in size in the next 10 years. That growth expectancy has been reduced, and it is important to develop long-range plans for infrastructure improvements that meet the needs of the community.

Anstine: 'City needs to be run like a business

QVPR: Why are you running for mayor?

KA: I have been asked by many people to run for Quincy mayor.

QVPR: Why are you the best candidate for mayor?

KA: I have ran for public office nine times. My leadership as chairman of the Grant County Health district board shows I can get the job done.

QVPR: What education and experience do you have that will allow you to succeed in the position?

KA: I've been a business owner (Quincy Security Service) for 23 years. I have two appointments and two elections to Quincy city council. I am the current chairman of the Grant County Health district board. I'm a five-time vice chairman of the Grant County Health district board, and I've served on the Quincy 4th three times. I'm a precinct committee officer Republican.

QVPR: If elected, what do you want to accomplish during your time as mayor?

KA: We have a very divided city team. I would rebuild the city team to work together.

I'd like to update the city water system. Many areas of our water system are over 50 years old and undersized for the future.

QVPR: What do you think of your opponent?

KA: I would have liked to had a debate, but there wasn't one, so I don't know what the current mayor would have said.

QVPR: If elected, what are the biggest challenges you'll face during your time as mayor?

KA: Decreasing revenues will be the biggest problem. We need to cut wasteful spending. It is time to run the city like a business. We need to have new accountability. It is time for real change for Quincy.