By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
For months, Scott Simpson could be seen at almost every Hays City Commission meeting, sitting in the same chair at the back of the room. In April, Simpson will look to move to the front of the chamber as a member of the city’s governing body.
Simpson has lived in Hays since 1985 and owns Best Radiator, a company he bought shortly after moving to the area. He said the commission’s August decision to regulate permanent shipping containers, along with several other decisions regulating business growth, inspired him to run for a seat.
“I felt there were some restrictive ordinances to business growth and just the daily workings of a business where we were being prohibited from using some facilities that I thought a lot of people need to use,” he said.
One topic Simpson is emphasizing is a smarter spending plan as he looks to pick up one of three seats on the commission. He said the city needs to do “more due diligence” when accepting bids. Recently, Simpson criticized the commission’s decision to spend $22,000 on a new air compressor.
“I think I would bring some double checking on some things before we go and pull the trigger on spending money,” Simpson said. “Even if they’re federal or state matched funds, it’s still our money. I think we need to become better stewards at how it goes out.”
Simpson is a strong supporter of the Strong Towns philosophy. The idea states most municipalities are working as “ticking time bombs” with “ever-increasing rates of growth required to sustain long-term liabilities.” Solutions include halting the current plan, developing better capital improvement plans, and implementing strategies to increase public return on investment.
“If I’m elected, I see Hays getting better,” Simpson said. “I think we’ve got a good city manager, and we just need to back up our plan with a little more research, watch our spending and I think we’ll be OK.”
“Right now, our cost of living is a little high and a lot of it is because of services and taxes that are heading in an upward direction,” he added.
Simpson said spending money on an agency or project isn’t necessarily the best fix to a problem. He also said the problem can be seen at several levels of government.
“Throwing money at something hoping that it gets better is bad policy,” Simpson said. “I would start voting in a manner where things get fixed from the bottom up.”
Simpson noted he was not in favor of the commission’s decision to create a Community Improvement District to fund improvements the Hays Mall.
There are three seats open in the April city commission elections. Incumbents Ron Mellick and Kent Steward have opted not to run, while Mayor Henry Schwaller is on the ballot for re-election. The other candidates are Lance Jones and James Meier.
Check Hays Post for additional candidate profiles as the election nears.