Candidates vie for 3 open seats on Ottawa City Commission
Six candidates seek one of three City Commission seats in Ottawa. Incumbents are Charles Gillette Richard Jackson and Gene Ramsey. Top two vote getters on April 1 win four year terms while the third-place finisher gets a two year term. The profile outlines each candidate top issues and reactions to the recreation center bond outcome.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ottawa City Commission
Charles Gillette
Richard Jackson
Gene Ramsey
Recreation Center
ECKAN
Jackson
Ottawa Planning Commission
Ottawa Recreation Commission
Russell Cities
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
National League of Cities
League of Kansas Municipalities
Attebery Seeks Ottawa City Infrastructure Upgrade
Retired Navy veteran Max Attebery, eight years at Keyman Lock Service, urges Ottawa to prioritize roads, sidewalks, curbs, and storm drainage. He supports a recreation bond with a school board pledge to maintain a one mill levy to fund part of the project, and would push retrofit of Forest Park pool if the bond fails.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Max Attebery
Keyman Lock Service
U.S. Navy
Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center
Louisville
Attebery
Ottawa School Board
Forest Park
Ottawa
Hinds Seeks City Commission Seat in Ottawa
Retired Navy aircraft mechanic and former U S Treasury investigator Robert E. Hinds moves from Florida to Ottawa in late 1997 to run for city commission. He aims to raise population to boost tax revenue, support housing, and back a Forest Park recreation center, noting Ottawa’s low crime and good schools as attractions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Robert E. Hinds
U.S. Navy
Wichita University
U.S. Treasury
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
International Harvester
Sara
Ottawa
Hinds
Kansas City
Ramsey: Funds and cuts crucial for Ottawa budget plan
Ottawa Commissioner Gene Ramsey outlines 1994 tenure, local leadership roles, and priorities for the next year. He stresses finding new funds while avoiding property tax hikes and keeping recreation as a top goal. If a bond passes, focus shifts to swimming facility plans. if not, alternatives must be found.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Westminster Presbyterian Church
The
Kansas State Bank
Ottawa Masonic Lodge
Ottawa High School Booster Club
Ottawa Eagles Aerie
Commission
Ramsey
Gillette prioritizes budget in Ottawa city race
Retired grocer and nine year Ottawa City Commissioner Charles Gillette outlines top goals, including correcting a $400,000 budget shortfall caused by state aid cuts. He stresses infrastructure, a forthcoming $11 million wastewater plant project, electrical network upgrades, storm drainage revamp, and forest park recreation bond impacts. He notes pool retrofit with or without voter approval.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Forest Park
Jackson Seeks Tax Relief as Ottawa Faces Aid Shortfall
Richard Jackson of ECKAN, longtime Ottawa official, says taxes will be the top priority but must balance with infrastructure, housing, and recreation needs. He notes $400,000 in state aid cuts and supports a new recreation center if a recreation proposal passes, while outlining plans to sustain city services.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Federal Home Loan Bank
Ottawa
Franklin County
Bethany Chapel Baptist Church
Ottawa University
Jackson
White runs for City Commission youngest candidate
Eric Matthew White, 29, makes his first bid for the City Commission. He has been principal of Holy Trinity Catholic School in Paola for three years after teaching seventh and eighth grade there. He is a member of Sacred Heart Church and the National Catholic Educators Association. He volunteers for the National Wildlife Federation. He attended Williamsburg.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charles Gillette
Ottawa
Ottawa Planning Commission
Ottawa Board of Zoning Appeals
Franklin County Board of Zoning Appeals
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
National League of Cities
League of Kansas
Neosho County
Johnson County
Ottawa University
Ameri
Eric Matthew White
Holy Trinity Catholic School
Paola
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
National Catholic Educators Association
National Wildlife Federation
Williamsburg
Ottawa mayoral candidate emphasizes family friendly city plan
Eric White, an Ottawa candidate with Kansas State education degree and Emporia State admin training, aims to improve the family environment. He urges better streets and parenting classes, notes recreation as key, and says a bond issue failure would prompt a new plan. His wife Kim runs a local day-care center.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas State
Emporia State
Kim
Ottawa
White
Bohi Seeks School Board Role Amid Budget Pressures
Bohi, a Wellsville area substitute and mother of five, has long supported children's programs in the Olathe district and Brownie Cub Scout groups. She now seeks a board seat, warning that ongoing Kansas budget cuts require careful program assessments to protect children’s activities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Vickie Bohi
Olathe
Bohi
Wellsville
Caravan Christian
Kansas
Breithaupt Seeks More Support for School Activities
Reta Breithaupt, a state employee with Social Welfare Services since 1993, urges Wellsville School Board to boost parental and community backing for athletics. She lives in the district with her husband and five of six children attend Wellsville schools, noting reduced community support due to budget constraints.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reta Breithaupt
Wellsville
Breithaupt
Johnson County
Breithaupt calls for focus on reading and budget review
Reta Breithaupt urges district to emphasize students reading skills and to base budget decisions on a thorough analysis of current programs. She says decisions should serve students and reflect education’s direction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Breithaupt
Also Mentioned on This Page
City Commission
Cleon Rickel
Ottawa Citizens Watch
Associated Locksmiths of America
Gardner
Robert Hinds
Iota
Fla
Kansas City Star
Himds
Ramsey Printing
Ottawa Area
Gillette
Can Management Association
Fleming Training Institute
First Baptist Church
Eric White
USD
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