Columbia Fifth Ward candidates similar on infrastructure but differ on sales tax

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Each of the two candidates for the Fifth Ward seat on the Columbia City Council says infrastructure projects would be a top priority if they're elected April 7.

Incumbent Don Waterman and challenger Christina Hartman told ABC 17 News in separate interviews that they are focused on long-delayed infrastructure projects, including a water tower in southwest Columbia and an electric transmission line that have faced setbacks for nearly a decade.

"I think part of that is going out and speaking with the community. Making sure that the community understands why we need those infrastructure projects," Hartman said.

Other hot topics include how the city should manage its budget and addressing staffing vacancies in the police and fire departments. City leaders have started discussions about a public safety sales tax measure to fund the new positions, a move that Waterman supports.

"The last couple of years we've struggled with sales taxes being roughly flat," Waterman said. "This would give us the opportunity to hire the officers. [Police] Chief [Jill] Schlude said she needs somewhere between 50 and 60 [officers]. They want to add a fourth firefighter to each shift. Right now, they're currently getting by with three."

LINK: Full interview with Don Waterman

LINK: Full interview with Christina Hartman

Hartman called for a closer audit of city spending.

"We know that the city does have a budget deficit, which means we're pulling out of our coffers, and that's not a good thing," Hartman said. "We need to really look at the budget and see what's giving us that return on investment and get rid of things that aren't working for us before we start asking the voters for additional money."

Waterman described his campaign as a way to finish "unfinished business," such as the transmission line project. One route has the line going south on Scott Boulevard before heading east along Vawter School Road, which turns into Nifong Boulevard and Grindstone Parkway.

"Bringing it down Scott and Vawter School and Nifong and Grindstone, that's the most cost-effective way to do it, the quickest way to do it," Waterman said.

Waterman said the latest action on the project was the council requesting more information after a report was provided to them. He said that because of the delay, the city government will also have to restart the informational and public hearing process.

"I expect that there will be some questions and some pushback from individuals that are concerned about property values. I know there's some questions about safety, electrical emissions," Waterman said.

Hartman suggested that her background in information technology and auditing systems could help identify why certain city projects are stalled. She also called for more transparency in city government, specifically noting that record requests should be turned around more quickly.

"I think that there's a lot of structural things that they've been working to improve that could still use a lot of help," Hartman said. "Provide information to our constituents in a very quick and meaningful way. If they're asking for information, let's be transparent about it and get it out to them."

The candidates also shared different perspectives on the city's role in addressing homelessness. Waterman said he believes private organizations and local nonprofits are more efficient at administering help than the city.

"The city's role should be to support as much as we can, whether it's approving and improving buildings, making adjustments to various codes, or something like that, if necessary to kind of clear roadblocks," Waterman said. "Time and again, they've proven that they're much more efficient than trying to have a city organization do it."

Hartman focused on the importance of proactive programs, noting that it is often less expensive to keep someone in their home than to lift them out of homelessness. She advocated for individual-focused assistance to help people reach their next steps.

"We need to be understanding. How do we help each individual at where they're at to build programs that help them get to that next level and whatever step that looks like?" Hartman said.

Regarding city leadership, Waterman said City Manager DeCarlin Seawood has done a "good job," specifically praising his hiring of department heads and the establishment of a local police academy.

"I was part of saying yes to starting our own police academy," Waterman said. "Under Chief Schlude, we've increased the number of officers, decreased the number of vacancies. We can then train our candidates or the recruits on Columbia policies from the beginning rather than having to retrain them if they went somewhere else."

Waterman won his election race for Ward 5 over Gregg Bush in 2023 by a margin of fewer than 150 votes out of close to 4,000 cast. This is Hartman's first time running for a city council seat.

Campaign finance reports from Feb. 25 show Waterman's campaign has raised a total $5,849 and spent just over $1,700. Some notable names that have donated money include $2,000 from Jim Yankee, owner of Flat Branch Bank, $50 from Matt Jenne, owner of Addison's restaurant, $550 total from three different realtors at Re/Max Boone Realty and former Columbia mayoral candidate Blair Murphy, who donated $64.

Waterman has given nearly $2,500 of his own money towards the campaign as well, according to the report.

Christina Hartman's campaign has raised a total of $3,040 as of Feb. 25 and has spent just over $3,300.