This is the fourth in a series of articles about the upcoming election of borough councilors in Columbia.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Columbia news, views & reviews posed the same five questions to all of the candidates for councilor in the impending election. Today is the first day for sharing the candidate responses with Columbia’s voters and citizens.

Barry Ford

What do you see as Columbia’s three most significant obstacles to economic growth in the next three years?

The biggest obstacle will be funding. Columbia Borough does not have the money to foster economic growth on its own, thus the need for assistance from the county, state and federal governments in terms of grants and services. We must take advantage of all funding sources and at the same time not place a burden on taxpayers. Second is the lack of execution of the current strategic plan. How many months have passed since the plan was adopted and there’s been nothing started? It seems the Council Community Development Committee has yet to bring all the stakeholders to the table. Third as I see it is the execution of any plans. I spoke about three or four months ago about developing a plan to get people from the Turkey Hill Experience to downtown and vice versa. There needs to be a timeline developed for this execution, instead of flying by the seat of your pants, in other words, prioritize. Plus we need consistent and effective code enforcement, not the current inefficient and selective ways of doing things. Improving quality of life issues will be key.

What qualities, characteristics and/or expertise make you ultimately most qualified for the position of borough councilor?

I have lived in Columbia for 53 years and been active for more than 30 years with the Columbia Boy’s Athletic Association as president, coach, tournament, football and baseball director. Also former member of the Columbia Rotary Club, Civil Commission and Columbia School District Strategic Plan Committee. But I feel my biggest asset is being a former staff member of the old Columbia News and former editor of the Columbia Ledger. I’ve been covering meetings in our town since 1984 and other areas. I’ve seen a lot of good people come and go along with a lot of good and bad ideas. I believe a perspective from those years and some fresh ideas and a different thought perspective can be an asset. Plus I bleed Crimson and Gold and have fought and will continue to fight for the best interests of all 10,000 people of this great town and not one group or having a personal agenda.

Columbia’s taxes rank near the top of all boroughs in the county; what will you do to help moderate the property tax burden for Columbia’s citizens?

First, if elected, I plan to meet with key people to discuss everything in Columbia, including finances. There is really no easy answer. We can’t cut services because they keep dwindling. I am not a financial expert but since we are landlocked and can only go up, plus we need to put a stop to these out-of-town landlords/business owners who are bleeding our town (Borough and School District) dry by appealing their assessments. If they can’t pay their fair share, I believe there are other things they could do to make up their fair share. It’s time we put our foot down and if they want to do this. For whatever reasons, programs such as LERTA, KOZ have not offered the needed relief. We just got to keep plugging away to get this under control. Can it happen? Yes. Will it happen? It has to.

What are your thoughts on the Borough’s revitalization efforts? How much do you think the Borough should spend annually on this project?

First off, the economic revitalization of Columbia won’t happen overnight and with that being said, I believe it is happening too slow. Is the problem at the local, state or federal levels? It remains to be seen. We have some outstanding projects ongoing that appear to be stymied. I believe firmly that each month there should be a status update on all projects, where they are, how long they will take and who we have to call to get things done and then stay on them to get it done. Two examples that quickly come to mind are the current tree/lighting project downtown and the proposed 441 bypass. It has me shaking my head when I see other communities planning projects and getting them done. Columbia’s projects are in the planning stages or somewhere far down on the list. We got to change the image that’s “it’s only Columbia.” And we will throw them a bone every once in a while to keep them quiet and then push for the projects/funding to the back burner. As for how much money, we have got to look at every available funding source and get it done.

Many believe that walking police patrols benefit communities. Would you consider supporting walking police patrols in the Borough?

Again, I go back to one of the other question/answers about covering meetings since 1984. I can remember not too long ago there was a business alliance meeting at Borough Hall when former DA, now Judge Don Totaro and county detective Joe Geesey spoke concerning police department issues. Not too many of those recommendations have been implemented. We have a chance to make big changes in our police department, especially if interim chief Jack Bromer is promoted and that is one of the things that should be insisted on by the mayor, who runs the police department and if it doesn’t happen, a direct order from the council to the chief to do so, so far at community events, police, since chief Bromer took over, have been visible, but if they are given a directive, I know our guys will follow it. It’s all about having a paper trail.

This series will continue tomorrow with another candidate’s responses.