Goals, job growth focus of Fort Smith Ward 4 candidates

Fort Smith Director George Catsavis and his Ward 4 opponent John Cooley want to make the city a more “business friendly” environment, but have different approaches for how to make that possible after the Nov. 6 general election.

Catsavis believes “lower taxes and utility rates will help stimulate growth in our town,” though he admits that “the state and the Chamber of Commerce also play a roll in this issue.”

“But it is up to the city and the Board of Directors to create a environment that promotes business development and growth,” Catsavis said.

If elected to the Ward 4 position in November, Cooley wants to start by looking at “how funds are allocated between the various city departments … Where are the opportunities for efficiency? How can the citizens get the best city government for the taxes that they pay?”

Cooley would also like to help business by “improving the permitting process,” adding that the process should be “efficient, effective and timely,” for businesses looking to open in Fort Smith.

The statements above are part of a political questionnaire Catsavis and Cooley submitted to The City Wire, discussing top priorities for the post-November board, trust and respect issues between city directors and the people of Fort Smith, and the board’s role in improving the Fort Smith economy. Full and unedited responses are below.

• George Catsavis
If elected to serve on the Fort Smith Board of Directors in November, what will be your top priority?

my top priority has always been economic growth, i have always advocated a business friendly environment which i believe is essential to creating Jobs, i also believe lower taxes and utility rates will help stimulate job growth in our town, i know the state and the chamber of commerce also play a roll in this issue but it is up to the city and the board of directors to create a environment that promotes business development and growth.

Some believe there are trust and respect issues between the Board of Directors and the citizens of Fort Smith. What are your thoughts on this, and how can you improve the relationship?

trust is a essential between a city government and its citizens, the city should be open and honest with its citizens always, transparency and accountability of tax payers money and spending of tax payers money should always be first which i fell would go a long way in earning the citizens trust, i do favor a online check book program which a lot of city's have begun to do so the people will know how there dollars are being spent. as far as respect i have always said everyone should be treated the same no matter what walk of life they come from, respect has to be earned, honesty, integrity, are essential part of this issue.

In your opinion, what can the Board do to improve economic conditions and create jobs in the city of Fort Smith?

to improve economic conditions i feel that lower taxes is always a stimulus to economic growth also less restrictions on business would go a long way to achieve this, as i said in QUESTION 1 the board should create an environment that is business friendly, in this current economy businesses are looking to save money, the lower the cost to open a business gives any business a better chance of success and growth which means Jobs now and in the future for our city. also i would like for the board of directors to be more involved with  business owners in fort smith, i would like the board and city personal to meet business owner every 6 months and here there concerns and ideas of how we can make things better when it comes to starting a business in fort smith, and what we can do to help them in the future.

• John Cooley
If elected to serve on the Fort Smith Board of Directors in November, what will be your top priority?

The immediate priority would be involvement in finalizing the 2013 budgets to understand how funds are allocated between the various city departments. With my finance and administrative background, ensuring that funds are being spent in the most efficient manner is of utmost importance. Where are the opportunities for efficiency? How can the citizens get the best city government for the taxes that they pay? The next priority is to make our city more business friendly by improving the permitting process.  Companies looking to relocate or expand in our community need to have a common sense process that they can follow. Permitting should be efficient, effective and timely for those individuals or companies going through the process.

I would also like for the city directors and citizens to work together to develop a clear set of goals that define the direction that we want our community to go. Going forward, everything that the city directors focus on should be with these defined goals in mind.  Issues that come up that move us toward our stated goals are worth discussing and addressing. Issues that don’t move our community forward shouldn’t be part of the agenda.

Some believe there are trust and respect issues between the Board of Directors and the citizens of Fort Smith. What are your thoughts on this, and how can you improve the relationship?

Trust can be established and maintained by making good decisions each and every day, using common sense and communicating effectively. Director meetings must be productive with difficult questions being asked and accountability being required. The directors should focus on goals and objectives that move Fort Smith forward and the citizens should see that the directors are placing votes with these goals in mind. If a director disagrees with a topic, they should propose an alternative course of action and a reason why this different course makes sense.

Too much time has been spent on issues that, although necessary, don’t move our city forward. Trust and respect issues are then compounded when the same topics come up again and again and are voted on several times. Not only does this waste time but it waste taxpayer money.

The directors and the citizens should have reasonable expectations of each other along with a dose of respect. We all live in the same community so it only makes sense for us to find common ground in spite of our differences. We must find a way to work together and do what is in the best interest of Fort Smith.

In your opinion, what can the Board do to improve economic conditions and create jobs in the city of Fort Smith?

We must move forward in several areas at the same time to create an environment that embraces business development and differentiates us from other communities. Although manufacturing has always been a significant part of Fort Smith and will continue to be important, we need to focus on growth in other areas too.

Embracing technology companies, building a river harbor, improving rail service, developing our downtown, growing Chaffee Crossing and the continued support of UAFS expansion are all simple examples of directions that we need to take. Streamlining and improving the business permitting process will have a big impact on smaller companies that want to grow in our area. Working closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the business leaders in the area will allow us to attract larger companies that can fill up our empty manufacturing facilities and warehouses.

Figuring out how to improve the economy is the single most important issue that faces this community. Home prices aren’t going to increase until demand picks up. Demand will only increase when jobs are being created. Jobs will be created when we “pull the rope together” to show off our community and what it has to offer.