NEWELL-There are two candidates for Mayor of Newell, Tara Tennis and Mayor Ken Wetz. They spoke before a large crowd April 2 to highlight their desires to become Newell’s mayor.
Tara Tennis is concerned about the school and the prospect of what it could do to the community. Tennis grew up in Newell, moved away and spent time in many areas before moving back to Newell. As a property owner, she believes Newell is a safe place and wants to see the town grow. There are Rural Economic loans available, she pointed out that can be found to grow the area and promote jobs.
There needs to be good communication between the mayor and councilmembers, Tennis said when asked about improving council relationships and the community. She also noted that the meetings need to be more inviting for the community and better advertising needs to be done so that more community members can attend.
Tennis would like to see the town’s website more user-friendly. She also noted that meetings can be found in the office, if anyone in the community would like to see them. Getting the community involved and working together is priority of Tennis. “The community together can make plans for the future,” Tennis said. Community involvement is very important to making changes in the town, Tennis said.
Ken Wetz has been Newell’s mayor for several years and has seen many changes. His roots run deep in the community. In the last six years, Wetz has been part of cleaning abandon houses, a housing study, and a sewer/water project.
There is an open forum during regular commission meetings, Wetz pointed out. Sometimes, he said, it is difficult to accommodate every need because of Open Meeting laws. For example, he said, he cannot meet with two commissioners and discuss city business, making discussions lengthy during meetings.
Mayor Wetz spoke to the aging infrastructure by highlighting the water/sewer project that will begin in the near future. Following the replacement of water and sewer lines, the streets can be addressed.
The city election is set for April 9 7 am to 7 pm in the Newell City Hall.
