Text Box: Jefferson City Plans Council Election for April; Candidates Respond to Audubon Questionnaire Text Box: Jefferson City Council Election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3rd. Candidates, who filed prior to mid-December, were surveyed by River Bluffs Audubon Society when Anita Randolph, Conservation Co-Chair, sent a questionnaire on environmental issues to them. The questionnaires were mailed to all the candidates who have opponents in the April election. River Bluffs members are urged to consider their responses to the questionnaire when voting and share this information with other voters. Responses were received from Jim Penfold and Pete Oetting, 2nd Ward; Jane Smith, 3rd Ward; Joe Wilson and Ron Medin, 5th Ward. Candidates who received questionnaires but did not reply were: Roy Viessman, 3rd Ward; Dan Klindt and Lucas Kunce 5th Ward. (There are two contested races in the 5th Ward). Following are the questions and responses listed in the order they were received before December 31st. What do you think is Jefferson City’s biggest environmental problem? And what would you do to solve it? Ron Medin: I am not presumptuous enough to pretend that I can prioritize the environmental issues facing Jefferson City. I suspect that anyone reading receiving this newsletter has a more informed opinion on these matters than me. But while I have no environmental agenda, I am interested in those issues to the extent that they directly impact the lives of Jefferson City residents and particularly the people of the Fifth Ward. A personal example might illustrate the point. My family has planted a half dozen trees on our residential lot over the last decade. We didn’t do it because of any overriding commitment to the environment; we planted them to provide shade for our home and lawn in the summer heat – saving money on air conditioning and making our outdoor living a whole lot more pleasant. In other words, I appreciate that environmental issues can have Text Box: a very real impact upon our quality of life and I would welcome any thoughts in that regard. Jane Smith: I think that Jefferson City’s biggest environmental problem is balancing economic development and the city’s natural resources. I would encourage a thorough review and discussion of the long-term effects of projects, to include not only economic benefits but also the benefits to the natural resources. Jim Penfold: I believe that the major environmental problem facing Jefferson City is the adequacy and reliability of its drinking water supply. Jefferson City is served by a network of four interconnected water systems, Missouri American Water Company and three public districts. The city has experienced at least two water supply interruptions and associated boil advisories in the past year. One district, without informing customers, discontinued and then resumed fluoridation only after public pressure. There are some cooperation problems among the water suppliers and the city and county. There are questions about the ability of the water suppliers to meet water demands during excess use periods. I believe that the city and county should convene a joint forum or conference bringing water suppliers and major water users together to review and comment on current and future water supply needs and the abilities of the water suppliers to meet these needs. Recognizing Missouri American Water’s recent announcement of a $3.7 million infrastructure improvement, I still believe it would be worthwhile to conduct a coordinated self-assessment of the suppliers’ capacities, potential infrastructure problems and plans and programs for the management of their system assets. A critical part of this assessment would be the determination of the water suppliers’ abilities to provide water throughout their service areas in the event of an electrical power outage such as the two that have occurred in St. Louis in the last 6 to 8 months. Missouri American Water does plan to provide permanent, stand-by electrical power generation for their drinking water treatment plant as an early component of their improvement program. Joe Wilson: Commercial and residential development is important because money talks. In our city, though, it seems we favor cutting down trees for the sake of a buck. We need to put more importance on taking care of what we have. That goes for our pets, too. We need to regulate Backyard Breeders. An affordable spay/neuter program will save thousands of tax dollars We should also look at a Trap, Neuter and Release program for stray animals like