By Becky Kiser
Hays Post
Hays mayor Henry Schwaller is seeking his sixth term on the Hays City Commission in the April 7 general election.
Schwaller is president of the real estate investment firm Henry Schwaller and Associates and also teaches business management classes at Fort Hays State University.
In November, Schwaller opposed the one-cent sales tax increase at the Hays Mall which goes into effect April 1.
Schwaller said the city should concentrate on bringing new smaller businesses to Hays.
“The city’s economic development policy favors recruiting outside firms to come here. I believe the future of Ellis County and western Kansas is growing firms from within. We have an amazing pool of talent here that graduates both from NCKTech and Fort Hays State University and then they leave. We don’t have enough opportunities for small business growth and development in the community,” Schwaller said.
“As much as I’d like to see a Target or Red Lobster, getting one of those in Hays would be very challenging and quite expensive,” he added.
Economic development incentives are of limited value according to Schwaller and should be specifically targeted.
“They don’t build a stronger community. When you give a company money to come to a community and the incentives expire–they always do–the businesses generally leave. There are some cases where the businesses have stayed in Hays. I can think of one or two but most have vanished.
“We’re very lucky to have what we have but those (economic development) policies don’t build on our strengths; they just create what I think of as a ‘WalMart’ model–a low-cost environment.
“Kansas is not a low-cost environment even with the recent tax cuts from the state. We still have to pay the bills to provide for infrastructure and services.
“I’m not in favor of them. I would use (economic development incentives) in a targeted approach if we could use them in a targeted area–whether it be along Vine Street or downtown–and if there was a specific outcome we could get from them.”
Schwaller is unhappy with the performance of SkyWest, the new air carrier service at the Hays Regional Airport, which recently dropped its early morning flight.
“Our relationship with SkyWest is difficult, to say the least. I think…we’re going to look for another carrier….We’ve been working with the federal government (program) which brought SkyWest here. SkyWest Airlines has basically stepped back and said they’re not going to commit to providing the transportation they promised us when we recruited them.
“I think instead of being baffled by this and worrying about it, it’s time to find another carrier….The current schedule is unacceptable. For this airline to receive millions of dollars in subsidies and not deliver is unacceptable.”
Schwaller’s top issue of concern for the city of Hays is water.
“We have to secure a long-term water source,” he stressed.
Other priorities for Schwaller are infrastructure, streets, parks and upgrading the sewer treatment plant.
He also wants the city to “develop and grow a better economy–more affordable housing, more retail, more restaurants, more entertainment.
“We’ve done well–slow and steady growth the past decade. We need more opportunities for Hays and northwest Kansas. We need to grow it here locally and organically.”
The other candidates for the three open seats on the Hays City Commission are Lance Jones, James Meier and Scott Simpson. The top two candidates with the most votes will receive a four-year term on the commission and the third will serve a two-year term.