Candidate questionnaire: Mayor Chris Meyer
By Adam Hocking
Editor
MARSHFIELD — The spring election will be held on April 5, and included on the ballot, amongst other offices, will be the candidates for Marshfield Common Council, school board, and mayor. Hub City Times has already conducted interviews with all five school board candidates and this week moves on to Mayor Chris Meyer.
Meyer is seeking his fifth term as Marshfield mayor and is running unopposed.
Hub City Times: You debated whether or not to run for a fifth term as mayor. What was the ultimate factor in deciding to run?
Chris Meyer: Each time I have run it has been a decision made with my family. With young children, the role of mayor impacts a lot of our family time. My family remained supportive and encouraged me to run for another term.
In addition, my first term started in 2008 when my oldest daughter was a third-grader. Each year all city third-graders tour city hall. At the end of this next term, I will have been able to give third-grade tours to each of my children. While this may seem like a minor issue, family is an important part of being an elected official. This small event in each of their lives was something I am proud to have been able to do.
Additionally, we have the library under construction and the sale of City Hall currently underway, and these are two projects I would like to see through to completion.
HCT: You have been supportive of projects to considerably change the landscape of the downtown such as the Second Street corridor and the community square. Why have you supported those projects?
CM: Marshfield is my hometown, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished in our 130-year history. Our downtown, like most other downtowns, has gone through many transitions in just the last 30 or 40 years. The efforts to revitalize the downtown are critical to helping it move on to the next phase of its life as the heart of our community, a place people gather and want to be, while continuing to respect and pay honor to the unique history of our downtown.
HCT: The local government has played a financial role in supporting Marshfield Area Pet Shelter (MAPS) as well as the effort to raise awareness about heroin abuse. How broad should the scope be for what the city will help fund versus what it will not?
CM: We have incredible residents that work hard to make ideas into reality. We have a council that is supportive of those efforts. From the bear exhibit, MAPS, and library, we have worked together to make these reality.
The council has already had discussions about how they should and should not be involved from a financial standpoint, and we are currently developing our strategic plan with this in mind. Money is a finite resource, and the council wants to ensure we are keeping our tax rate stable, services viable, and that we do what we can to enable groups to build services that are needed in our community.
HCT: What do you hope to accomplish above all else in your fifth term, and will this be your last term?
CM: The completion of the sale of City Hall would be the biggest goal, but the completion of the library, community center, and downtown projects are also significant goals.
I have learned to never say no before you have to, but in regards to this being my last term, I do believe it will be.
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