Alderman Candidates

Now, let's take an early look at the Alderman candidates from the article posted in "The Advertiser"

-Here We Go...

2009 Spring Hill Aldermen Candidates

There are 17 residents who qualified to run in the Alderman races. Running for the Ward 1 alderman seat are Les Cleveland, Chester Darden, Keith Davis, Matthew Kirchner, Laurie Sterling, Daniel Rolfson and Amy Wurth. Running for the Ward 2 Alderman seat are Jonathan Duda and Charlie Schoenbrodt. Running for the Ward 3 Alderman seat are Vinny Falcone, Bob Hawkes, Keith Hudson, Brady Knight, Robert Medina and David Williford. Running for the Ward 4 Alderman seat are James Cichoracki and Allen Hall.

The alderman pay is $450 per month for 12 months a year. They receive $225 per meeting for two meetings per month.

“They must be present at the meetings to be paid,” said City Finance Director and Interim Administrator Jim Smith, adding the total pay is $5,400 annually, if every meeting is attended.

Smith said if there are three meetings held monthly, such as a special called meeting, additional pay is not compensated.

“They are eligible to receive the same healthcare benefits as city employees, which includes their family, at no expense to the alderman or employee,” Smith said, adding a retirement plan is not included. The Advertiser News asked each alderman candidate why they have decided to run and what they think is the major issue that the city will face in the next four years. The top responses were the city’s finances and infrastructure.

Ward 1

Les Cleveland

7 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Independent Contractor for Educational Publishers

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I really enjoy living in Spring Hill. It’s a great place to live. I think people should be involved in their community. I was previously appointed on the planning commission in Hanover Park, Ill. We had a lot of residential and commercial growth similar to what’s going on in Spring Hill. I used to be an urban planner and would put together transportation and land use studies and I think this would be the type of thing that would help Spring Hill.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The major issue the city is going to face is citizen participation in the development issues within Spring Hill. Development will continue to occur and as it does, you’ll see more citizens involved in the process. This is a great thing for Spring Hill because more citizens’ involvement will lead to better plans and land use within the community.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: What I would do is make sure transportation, parks and the quality of life in the community is prominently featured.

Contact Les Cleveland:

lescleve@bellsouth.net

(615) 330-8639

Chester Darden

2 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Consultant for Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management Pool

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: To be involved and I feel like I can help. Spring Hill is my home too and I have a vested interest for its future. With my background working with municipalities every day across the state, I feel I can use my experiences to also help Spring Hill.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: Finances and infrastructure will be two major issues but there are others, which are bound to occur within a four-year period.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: By being a team player. With previous experience as a chief financial officer for another city and with what I see everyday, you learn what works and what doesn’t.

Contact Chester Darden:

(615) 302-3069

Keith Davis

6 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Senior Project Manager of store planning and development for Genesco Corp.

Q: Why have you decided to run for Alderman?

A: This is my community. This is where I have decided to raise my son, and I want to have a part in how this community continues to grow for the future. It is important to me that we continue to lay the foundation for a bright future in Spring Hill, and that we continue to grow our resources for the sake of our kids and their future.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The obvious answer here is finance, as we are all seeing it every aspect of our lives, and the lives of those who live and work around us. Second to that, I feel like keeping an interest for our youth needs to be a priority as well.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: As to the finances, I feel we will have to do for Spring Hill as we will have to do for our own businesses and households. We will have to budget and manage what money and resources we have available to us so that we are getting the most out of it. We must also make sure that we are pursuing and accepting money from our state government by implementing plans and projects such as sports and recreation and helping our city grow to allow our youth to continue to be healthy and active. We need to make sure we are doing all that we can to provide healthy alternative to TV and video games, and that includes updated and new parks and facilities for all ages.

Contact Keith Davis:

keith_davis1@charter.net

(615) 302-2677

Matt Kirchner

1 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Grocery Manager

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I want to participate in helping the city prosper when it comes to the city’s finances. There’s no reason the city can’t have a budget and stick to it. I’m on a budget on a daily basis with work and with my family.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: I think the major issue is getting the budget under control and not overspending.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: By being a voice for the citizens and communicating with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the residents to make smart financial decisions.

Contact Matt Kirchner:

Mattkirchner@live.com

(931) 489-9060

Daniel Rolfson

2 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Operations Manager for a Scaffold Company

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I’m a young father with a young family and we want to be a part of this community for a long time. I think it would be beneficial for some young, fresh faces to be in city hall.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The major issue is going to be the fiscal health of the city. The No. 1 item is every dollar on that budget needs to be looked through line by line. If there’s not enough revenue, then more needs to be raised and/or budget cuts made, but the burden should not fall on the residents or on higher taxes.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: I have been involved in multi-unit operations for over 15 years and I think those experiences would benefit the residents of Spring Hill. My family moved here because we love this city. We need to entice more corporations to come here and market Spring Hill as the place to be.

Contact Daniel Rolfson:

Danrolfson1@charter.net

(615) 268-3117

Laurie Sterling

3 1/2 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Real estate agent and licensed teacher

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I was inspired by Sarah Palin in the last presidential election. I think we need to get more women involved in politics at all levels of government. I have always enjoyed politics and getting involved with me community. I am a people person and I want to be a representative of the people and their desires.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The growth and keeping up with the infrastructure, the roads and transportation system. I feel with our current economics, we need to focus on what we have and getting the infrastructure to match the growth we have already seen. What we need to aim for is a balance between the growth and the historical beauty of Spring Hill.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: I want to get the word out to build up business locally and bring more jobs to Spring Hill. I will first and foremost listen to the people’s concerns. What I run across most is people’s concerns about the infrastructure of the town and safety and good school systems. I with work with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and bring these issues before them. I will also work with the economic development and planning commissions to achieve these goals to keep the community a highly desirable place to live.

Contact Laurie Sterling:

gobblygoooz@hotmail.com

(615) 513-4958

Amy Wurth

5 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: National Account Manager for a grocery supply chain

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: There are three reasons: the growth of the city and the management of that growth, the overall economic state of the city and our residents and community welfare of our residents, which includes safety, security and recreation. I have previous experience working for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley for five years and I understand what it takes to manage a city and bring those skill sets to Spring Hill.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The economy is going to be the No. 1 issue, not only for the city, but for our residents.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: I will help keep Spring Hill on track by ensuring fiscal responsibility through procurement and purchasing processes as well as ensuring that we can manage the tax revenues recieved and manage the income coming in versus what’s going out.

Contact Amy Wurth:

amymwurth@yahoo.com

(931) 334-5597

Ward 2

Jonathan Duda

Seeking Re-election, served since April 2005

5 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Senior consultant for Renaissance Bank Advisors

Q: Why have you decided to run for re-election alderman?

A: We have made significant progress in putting into place the tools that this city needs to operate in a manner that places its citizens first. I believe that there is much work that still needs to be accomplished. I am committed and prepared to continue to represent the citizens of our city.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The most significant issue for our city is that the impact and effects of our national economic crisis remain to be seen at the local municipal government level. We must find a way to provide essential services to our citizens efficiently and in a way that is fiscally sustainable in this volatile economic environment that we are currently in.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: Simply stated, I am prepared to work together with the entire board to ensure that we are providing services as efficiently as possible. Although we have already begun the process to bring in an outside group to review each of the city’s departments, we as a board must be prepared to prioritize and provide clear direction to staff as to which recommendations as a result of that study will be implemented.

Contact Jonathan Duda:

jonathan.duda@charter.net

(615)714.2287

www.VoteDuda.org

Charlie Schoenbrodt

11 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Retired as a marriage and family therapist, operates Spring Hill Pet Pal, a pet care service.

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: Based on what the founding fathers said, everyone has a responsibility to their own community. I can’t make much of a difference in Washington or Nashville, but I can make a difference in what happens in Spring Hill, which is the foundation for state and federal government. There needs to be better communication between the residents and the Board of Mayor and Alderman.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: Finances and finding a way to not burden the residents with higher taxes but utilize what is coming to the city in a responsible way. Using it for necessities and only meeting the wants and desires when there is an excess of funds. It’s going to be a lean four years. Other issues don’t apply to taxes such as the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: The way I can help is digging into what’s being spent, finding ways to cut what you can without cutting services that could make a real impact on the quality of life in the city. Quality of life doesn’t mean having everything we want, it’s safety and security.

Contact Charlie Schoenbrodt:

penguinwatch@bellsouth.net

(615) 405-2764

Ward 3

Vinny Falcone

7 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Computer operator with 29 years experience in the printing business

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I understand the city is in some trouble financially. I consider myself a problem solver and I want to be involved in solutions for the city.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The first problem I see is making sure there is controlled and organized growth, rather than the sprawl of dropping things where they fall.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: As a hopefully elected official, solutions lie in the people that you represent. The problem is people elect people to solve all the problems, but the elected people need to identify from the citizens what the problems and solutions are and enact on those.

Contact Vinny Falcone:

vote@vinnyforalderman.com

(615) 599-5258

www.vinnyforalderman.com

Bob Hawkes

4 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Vice President of Financial Planning Services at First Tennessee Bank and certified financial planner

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I feel I have a unique perspective because my expertise is in financial planning and I have a very strong financial background. In the last couple of years, my awareness has been raised on certain issues of the city.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The major issues we’re facing today are financial stability and the growth of the city. We moved here from Orlando where we saw unchecked and unplanned growth that changed the community to something undesirable to the citizens. We have to understand that Spring Hill is a commuter community. One of my goals is to look at the growth components to keep people in Spring Hill and build up the existing infrastructure.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: As a planner, I help people look at deficiencies and how to solve the problems for a better future. We need to look at analytics and people. We need to make some good decisions now and take some things, which haven’t been done well, and make them better. My official campaign motto is “Financial stability for the city, heart for the people, not politics.”

Contact Bob Hawkes:

bob@bobforalderman.com

(615) 614-1464

www.bobforalderman.com

Keith Hudson

12 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Manufacturing management for 15 years and chairman of the economic development commission for the city of Spring Hill

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: We moved here because we love Spring Hill and there’s no other place in the world where I would raise my children. However, I want to be a voice for the people and make sure some much-needed change occurs as we continue to grow. As the city embraces current residential growth, we need to ensure commercial growth, which I already have experience in doing.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The city has lost its trust within our local government. For the city to remain effective, it needs to regain the trust of the community.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: We have to prove our-selves to be efficient, be transparent about our agendas and show ourselves accountable by allowing all financial and spending information to be easily accessible to the public and show where tax dollars are being spent. By improving the infrastructure to current streets and building alternative routes from Highway 31 to reduce traffic flow, implement recreational fields for our youth sports

and parks for all age levels. If we pay taxes comparable or more than Brentwood and Franklin, we should expect to have the same recreational facilities and services for our youth.

Contact Keith Hudson:

keithphudson@gmail.com

(615) 668-4344

keithhudson.blogspot.com

Brady Knight

20+ year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Machine Repairman for GM

Q:Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: I haven’t liked the way the city has been going. I went to the Board of Mayor and Alderman and voiced my opinion. I feel if I’m going to complain, I owe it to the community to be a part of the solution and to serve.

Q:What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The city is going to mirror the economy of the nation. The city’s economy is going to shrink and take a hit. One of the things I told the mayor and aldermen is if we can get ideas from the people in the town, we would be so far ahead of so many places.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: We need to actively engage the townspeople to show them that their ideas are needed and wanted and are important. The people would be engaged and we could put their ideas to use.

Contact Brady Knight:

(931) 486-0805

Robert Medina

6 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Parts Support Analyst for GM

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: Because I don’t have an alliance to a particular group and I want to represent the people of the city. I’ve been conducting research on the Tennessee Annotated Code, which is the state law book. I feel comfortable to know what’s expected of an alderman and to ensure the ordinances are in compliance with each other

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: The major issue is going to be the infrastructure and traffic flow that we will incur because of the extensive urban growth boundaries. As we grow and annex more areas into the city, we need to make sure we have adequate response time for the police and fire to service those areas. We need to look at how streets are connected before we annex new areas.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: Through comprehensive research and visiting additional communities at my own expense, and look at the best and worst practices of overlays and what similar things have happened in other cities. We need to have our best knowledge using existing resources available, such as MTAS, to make the best recommendations.

Contact Robert Medina:

Robert1974@bellsouth.net

(615) 586-5079

David Williford

7 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Senior Account executive for Stephens Media, Affiliate Real Estate Broker, apprentice Auctioneer

and children’s entertainer

Q: Why have you decided to run for Alderman?

A: I think this next term is going to be one of the most critical times in the city of Spring Hill with the existing city financial issues. I feel it’s important that the city have aldermen who are not on the board for personal gain and that are there to look for the city’s best interests and be the voice of the people.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: Financial responsibility. We need to save money and be cautious with our spending. The creation of new, good paying jobs to keep residents in the community during the week and maintaining a safe community.

Q: How will you help solve it?

A: I’ll help solve this issue by watching where the spending is going and discontinue going into further debt.

Contact David Williford

williford4alderman@bellsouth.net

(615) 243-3031

www.williford4alderman.com

Ward 4

Jim Cichoracki

16 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: Retired from GM

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: For me, it started with the audit. I was appalled at the $3 million shortfall and the reinstatement of the property taxes. Since I’m retired, I know you have to live within your budget and not on your credit card. The bills come due eventually and you do have to pay them. That’s what sparked my interest and I started attending the meetings.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: I think based on our economy now and the problems with our federal government and the deficit spending going on in federal government, it’s going to flow downhill. In my opinion, the next four years are going to be very critical. We need to not only pay our bills, but create a surplus and a cushion so we don’t have to raise taxes and can continue providing for the needs of the citizens. I believe you need to be very careful in deciding what is a need and what is a want. You need to hold off on the wants until you have the funds to pay in cash and not go into debt.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: I believe that living on a fixed income, I have the ability to keep a hold of my finances; and I want to transfer that skill set to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Contact Jim Cichoracki:

jfcich@aol.com

(931) 486-1298

Allen Hall

5 year Spring Hill resident

Occupation: IT Consultant

Q: Why have you decided to run for alderman?

A: As I began to think of my motivations, I realized my father and grandfather served the public in some shape or form. I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I want to be involved instead of sitting on the sidelines. There’s a couple ways you can participate in community matters. You can tell someone else what you want done or you can take it upon yourself.

Q: What is the major issue the city will face in the next four years?

A: City finances-every municipality has finance issues. We’re behind the eight ball in so many ways because our situation is unusual. It comes to how the city finances have been managed in the past few years. All of that may be worsened with the recession. Some specific examples include where we stand with housing and construction. You hear there are subdivisions abandoned by developers, homes half-finished and streets left unpaved.

Q: How will you help to solve it?

A: Having experienced some of this personally, I have a well-informed perspective on it. I have some ideas to help correct some of the problems we have now as well as avoid them in the future.

Contact Allen Hall:

allen@hallforalderman.com

(931) 674-0250

www.hallforalderman.com