Friday, May. 02, 2008

Argyle Council Candidates Discuss Growth, Related Concerns

By Linda Taylor

Contributing Writer

Four of the six candidates for Argyle’s three open City Council seats participated in a forum on April 24. According to Chamber of Commerce officials, Place 1 incumbent Mark Bogosian and Place 5 candidate David McSwain could not attend because of work commitments.

The event, sponsored by the Argyle Chamber of Commerce, was at the Miles Foundation. In introducing the candidates to the crowd of about 80 residents, Kim Hinnrichs, office administrator for the chamber, said the chamber does not endorse any of the candidates but provided the forum to allow voters to get to know the candidates.

Place 1 challenger Joey Hasty, Place 3 opponents Jayne Marshall and Schroetke and Place 5 incumbent Joe Phelps participated. Marshall is the Place 3 incumbent, and Schroetke served on the council in 2000-2006.

The forum consisted of a mix of questions presented in advance and questions submitted by the audience. Each candidate had an equal amount of time to comment.

While some of the candidates have lived in Argyle considerably longer than others, all candidates have shown a high level of involvement, serving on various committees and commissions for the town. All four were well-versed in what they believe to be the primary issues and concerns.

All four agreed that one of the major challenges facing the town is the stress placed on the aging infrastructure. The town’s current and future growth continues to place burdens on the thoroughfare and sewer systems that will have to be addressed before major commercial development can occur.

Schroetke said to keep up with growth in an orderly manner, the town will need to plan efficiently, make sure the proper policies and procedures are in place and ensure that the town’s ordinances are consistent and fair.

"I believe the council needs to work as a team to manage the growth in an orderly manner," Schroetke said.

On the question of whether he was pro- or anti-growth, Phelps said that a town that is not growing is a town that is dying.

"Argyle can’t support itself on residential taxes alone," he said. "We’re going to need some commercial development or a few smaller lots in our residential areas. There needs to be a balance of affordability."

Tax incentives for commercial developments are often an emotional issue. Hasty said he supported tax incentives in special cases where there would be a significant advantage to the residents, but the other three candidates were less enthusiastic about offering tax incentives and rebates to developers.

"I have spoken to many citizens about the issue of tax incentives," Marshall said. "Most of them believe the developers should shoulder the responsibility of those developments."

The four candidates also agreed that the question of eminent domain is one that takes a lot of careful thought and should not be entered into lightly. While they understand that sometimes private property must be taken for certain projects that would benefit all the citizens equally, they also agreed that fair compensation is important any time a resident must give up property.

"Eminent domain is always a difficult question," Hasty said. "Argyle is not at that point yet, and it will have to be well thought out when we are. That is an issue that depends on the details, even if it is good for the community."

Early voting began this week; the general election is scheduled for May 10.