Currently	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
91°
Fair	88° 58°	84° 59°	79° 60°	69° 51°	70° 55°

Candidate favors cutting taxes, trying new ideas

By Jeremy Shapiro

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

City commission candidate Bobbi Mlynar believes Emporia is searching for what kind of city it wants to be.

“We are an enigma,” Mlynar said. “I don’t think we know what we want to be. We have to have a plan. That might mean changing our approach.”

Mlynar, a retired journalist, thinks the current city leaders have lost sight of citizens. She said some of the taxes and fees are creating a burden residents can’t afford, and that the voices of people aren’t being heard.

“We need new ideas,” she said. “We can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results.”

After a distinguished journalism career, Mlynar retired from The Emporia Gazette in 2010. Mlynar began at The Gazette in 1963 and served as city editor and a news reporter. She still occasionally writes articles for The Gazette as a freelance writer.

Mlynar, 65, said she had thought about running for office while working full-time at The Gazette but those plans were squelched by her line of employment. However, that didn’t stop her from formulating ideas for how to improve Emporia.

Mlynar said her top priority if elected is to make Emporia an affordable place to live. While taxes are necessary for public safety, streets and infrastructure, there are ways to tighten the belt on spending, she said.

To shed light on how, Mlynar said she would ask city employees for ideas on efficiencies. She also would scrutinize bids received.

“We have to be ready to put a hold on spending,” Mylnar said. “We have to treat it more like a family budget.”

As a past city employee herself (administrative assistant for the police department in 1996-1997), Mlynar said she understands how departments approach the budget and that there are ways department heads can trim.

Mlynar said the city shouldn’t have passed a deficit budget this year. She prefers cutting expenses over taking money out of savings.

“We need to justify spending and not make excuses,” she said.

Mylnar would like to have monthly meetings between the city and both the Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas and the Convention and Visitors Bureau so the public can be made aware of what’s happening.

She said Emporia needs to go after businesses instead of waiting for businesses to come to them.

When a company decides not to come to Emporia, Mlynar wants to find out why. She suggested following up with the company to see what they thought of Emporia and what were some of the reasons that the city was not chosen.

“We have to be realistic about how to make Emporia a more attractive place,” she said.

An Emporia native, Mlynar said she is familiar with people from all walks of life. Similar to her approach as a reporter, Mlynar pledges to be objective and look at all sides of an issue. She said she will have time to research issues.

“Being a commissioner takes a lot more time than just attending meetings,” she said.

As for the subject of entrance monuments, Mlynar said the city first needs to make Emporia strong and healthy on the inside before adding more signs on the outside.

“We need to work on improving the entrances themselves,” she said. “There already are a hodgepodge of signs.”

As for downtown parking, Mlynar sees the chamber taking the lead on that more than the city. She said businesses need to continue to stay on employees about leaving desirable parking spots for customers.

On housing, Mlynar would like the city to do a better job of enforcing existing ordinances.

“For substandard housing problems, we have to enforce the ordinance in place,” Mlynar said.

The 10 other candidates running are Commissioner Bobbie Agler; former city commissioner Tom Myers; Christian Keisler, an Emporia native and Emporia State communication major; Rob Gilligan, sales director for Emporia Marketplace.com, a division of The Emporia Gazette; Jenell Tebbetts, a salesperson for Genesis Health Club; Helen Hill, former owner of Hills Appliance Center; Joel Phipps, broker and owner of Re/Max select; Jack Oglesby II, a retired teacher; Joe Bordonaro, an attorney; and Joe Endres, a sales employee for American Electric Co.

The primary is March 1 with the top nine vote-getters advancing to the general election April 5. Advance voting is underway at the Lyon County Courthouse, 430 Commercial St.

Comments

reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

This sounds good to me. I will be a candidate for City Commission in the general election, so don't vote for me in the primary. As a write in candidate I leap froged into the general election. The CITY COMMISSION has been over charging for water to the tune of 1 million dollars and I think they need to cut back and of coarse, they say this is impossible and if they weren't using the 1 million on water collections, they would have to raise property taxes.

February 16, 2011 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Quack (anonymous) says...

K.B. Thomas, Jr.. aka reddog; Why don't you get your own interview rather than trying to steal other people's exposure. Every candidate that gets interviewed is respecting the others' space except you, and that should be taken by voters as a strong sign of the type of person you are-- No respect for anything but your own needs and thoughts. Since you are to afraid to run in the primary- keep quiet until the run for the general election starts- you said it yourself, "I leap frogged into the general election" Said another way.. you cheated knowing you would loose in the primary. Maybe The Gazette ought to ban you from the forums until after the primary, so you can't campaign on here while the primary process in ongoing.

February 16, 2011 at 4:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justthinkin (anonymous) says...

Mlynar said she would ask city employees for ideas on efficiencies. If true, Hooray for you. It would be a first, that's for sure, and an excellent method of getting ideas. It's about time someone listens to employees. And, when that proves successful, maybe the Commission could listen to the public as well... but, that'll never happen in our lifetimes.

February 16, 2011 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bobhornet (anonymous) says...

Four words: Breath of fresh air!

February 16, 2011 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sail (anonymous) says...

"run bobbie run"....she gets it.

February 16, 2011 at 5:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sandman (anonymous) says...

Oh, how I wish I could vote!!!! This is one candidate that would get that vote. I truly feel since she is ONE of the people she will SPEAK for the people and the Emporia community. She is one you can TRUST!!!!

February 16, 2011 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sandman (anonymous) says...

Quack, I second what you said.....good job!!!!

February 16, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Fish (anonymous) says...

Give 'em hell, Bobbie!

February 16, 2011 at 8:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

I saw at least 4 commission candidates at tonight's meeting.

Bob Agler- (he had to be there)
Bobbi Mylnar
Joe Endress
James Bordonaro

were there any others?

February 16, 2011 at 8:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

Did reddog crawl out of bunker and stream some youtube videos of what he would do?

February 16, 2011 at 8:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...

I am on board!! About voting for Bobbie and with Quack's statement.

February 16, 2011 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

railroadhorn (anonymous) says...

I'm liking this candidate but I'm kinda wondering if she's elected will she stop writing for the Gazette? Cross that bridge when we get there. My name is Tim Wright and I'm not a CPA! (Reference to Steve Sauder having to eat crow over me this morning. He thought I lived in Texas not Emporia! What a goof! Can't there be 2 people in town with the same name?!)

February 16, 2011 at 9:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justaflushaway (anonymous) says...

Steve, the ones that weren't there probably think that they have it already won for the general election, If I was running for city commissioner, I would have been there, and finding where something is happening tomorrow morning, it called exposure.. If I was to vote, cant but if I would, only one that was there, Bobbie Mylnar

February 16, 2011 at 9:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )