WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) -We’re continuing our series of interviews with Watertown City Council candidates ahead of next Tuesday’s primary election.
We’re asking three questions to each of the dozen candidates running for council seats.
On Friday, we sat down with Jason Traynor and MaryEllen Blevins.
1. What do you think of the job the current council is doing?
“I think the majority, not all, there’s a few on there that are not like this, but I think the majority of them are not listening to what the public wants, or they’re assuming what the public wants, and they’re getting it wrong. Number two, I don’t think they’re using wisdom in how they are spending money. I think that’s going to have long-term effects for the city,” said Blevins.
“I think there needs to be lots of improvement. Especially, I was not in agreement of the golf course price, $3.4 million with an assessed value of $1.1 million. I believe when I get elected, we need a budget amendment. Basically, whatever the city takes in, that’s how much we spend, and if there’s a national disaster, that’s frozen,” said Traynor.
2. What would you do differently on council?
“I think there needs to be a little bit more open communication saying, ‘Hey look, this is our budget. This is how much we have. This is what’s coming down the pike, and if you add it up, it just doesn’t add up. So we have to make certain decisions,” said Blevins.
“Listen more. Talk less, listen more. I believe that’s a true leader. We need to sit and hear people’s concerns more,” said Traynor.
3. What do you think the city’s top priority should be?
“Fiscal responsibility. We need to understand what we should be spending money on and not spending money on. Because sooner or later you’re going to run out of money, and what happens is, all the time, taxes go up. The other one is infrastructure. If you don’t fix the infrastructure, if you don’t have a firm foundation, anything you build on it will not stand. It’s just the reality,” said Blevins.
“Infrastructure, roads, sidewalks, the water system, $50 million. And also this common understanding, and just ideas. We need to just fix the priorities first. Protection, services, water, and a whole bunch of things,” said Traynor.
Asked about the Flynn Pool purchase, Blevins says something should go on the Northside, but adds a $4 million pool is not the answer.
As for the golf course, Blevins says she would have voted ‘no’. She sued the City of Watertown over the purchase in December.
Traynor says he would have voted for the golf course purchase if the price was closer to the $1.1 million assessed value. He says he supports two pools instead of three and says there are needs that should be prioritized instead.
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