Questionnaire:
1. Name and office sought
Chuck Adams, Edwardsville City Council
2. Age 57
3. Occupation
My wife, son and I own a Durable Medical Equipment company, Advance Diabetic Shoes, serving the pedorthic needs of people diagnosed with diabetes. www.AdvanceDiabetic.com
4. Education
Bachelor of Arts from Kansas State University
5. Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong
• Kansas Co-Chair of the Mid America Regional Council’s (MARC) Total Transportation Policy Committee (TTPC)
• Past KS Co-Chair of MARC’s Transit Committee
6. Reasons for running
The original reason for running in 2006 was that there was tremendous turmoil throughout Edwardsville. It seemed that all the press that we were attracting was negative. The citizens of Edwardsville deserved better than that and I believed that I could make a positive contribution toward bringing stability in leadership, policies and public perception.
I am running for my third term because there is still much more work to be done. We have made great strides in stabilizing the budget and expenditures, providing a work environment that is strong and stable as well as laying the foundations for a strong future. I would like to be a part of the continuation of the momentum. I believe that having a strong city council that is focused on the future of the entire city will help us attract more businesses and families to this diamond in the rough called Edwardsville.
7. What is your top campaign issue?
There is no “top” campaign issue. Every citizen has unique perspectives and desires for services from their local government. That being said safety, roads and infrastructure, property values and taxes are among the top concerns from most constituents.
There are four over-riding values that direct my actions and policy decisions.
1. Unity – all employees, elected and appointed officials all pulling in the same direction with a passion for service to the citizens of Edwardsville.
2. Infrastructure – take care of what we have and plan for necessary new needs in the future.
3. Safety – strong police, EMS and fire departments
4. Growth = strategic, thoughtful and sustainable
8. There may be budget constraints facing local governments and
schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?
Due to the disastrous financial condition of Edwardsville in 2007 and the subsequent financial downturn we have already made those tough choices to get our expenses in line with our revenues. Edwardsville is now poised for taking advantage of the opportunities that arise. Due to the responsible management of resources I do not see any need to talk about cuts. The more important conversation for Edwardsville is the wise management of resources for the future to provide the greatest value to our residents.
9. If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office.
If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?
• Taking the city from a $275,000 deficit to having adequate cash reserves while maintaining quality safety and services for our citizens
• Hiring a top notch City Manager who, with the direction of the council, has built a high quality management team for each department of the City.
• Treating all employees of the city with the respect that they are due. All departments working as one team pulling together for the betterment of our city
• Re-construction of a portion and re-pavement of the entire length of Edwardsville Drive
• Various repairs and maintenance road projects throughout the city
• Re-construction of Kansas Avenue from I-435 to 102nd Street
• Purchase of a new fire engine
• Initiation of our very own EMS service cutting the response time to our citizens by nearly 60% at a lower, predictable cost
• Installation of our new police station
• Addition of over 1,000,000 square feet of development in the industrial park
• Addition of over 1,000 jobs throughout the city
• Opening of Dollar General store
• Following is a list of some of the key businesses that we have attracted to our community:
o EARP Distribution
o Dollar General
o Plaza West
o Shanahan Crane
o Homestead Motors
o Zumiez
o Alphabroder
o Okonite
o Glazer’s
o Monosem
o Old Dominion
o … and more on the way.
10. What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?
It appears that a couple of my opponents are concentrating a couple of single issues that are energized by outside organizations. My campaign is entirely self-funded and therefore not beholding to outside organizations and/or companies that seek to influence the actions of the city through the recipient of that funding.
11. Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?
See #6 above