Fredericktown, Marquand to elect mayors in April election
Fredericktown and Marquand voters will also be electing mayors in the April 3, General Municipal election. A sample ballot containing all of the offices and issues to be decided is on page 16 of the March 21st issue of the paper.
The candidates for mayor are profiled below:
FREDERICKTOWN:
Mark Tripp
Biographical information:
I have been a resident of Fredericktown my whole life. I am proud to say that I am a product of the Fredericktown R-1 School District. I am currently finishing up my political science degree at Mineral Area College.
What experiences do you have which will help you as Mayor?
I am currently the Mayor of the City of Fredericktown. Previously to becoming Mayor, I served one term as Ward 3 Alderman from 2007-2009. I believe that it is important for the Mayor to have experience in State and Federal laws. As a local government we are subjected to State Statutes and Federal Statutes that can be extremely confusing. Also, the Mayor needs to have experience in negotiating. There are many different areas in local government that negotiations are required, such as business development, services, and many more. Without a strong negotiator it is the residents and business owners of the City of Fredericktown that will lose. It’s vitally important that the Mayor works closely with the City Council. Having a healthy debate is how we get the best out of our laws. It’s unconstructive to always be fighting each other, thus, getting nothing accomplished and hurting the residents and business owners.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
I would try to cut down on the red tape. In these economic times it is difficult for individuals to invest their money into starting small businesses. The City needs to be a partner with these individuals and make it as easy as legally possible for them to thrive in Fredericktown. I would also try to change the atmosphere in our City so that people are proud to live here. So often I hear degrading comments about the people, schools, and businesses in our City. As the old saying goes, if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all. Don’t get me wrong, constructive criticism is a good thing. But when it becomes vile, mean-spirited, and hurtful, you have crossed the line. Let’s work together to bring Pride back to Fredericktown.
Danny E. Kemp
Biographical information:
I am 58 years old. I graduated from Fredericktown high School in 1971. I then attended Unitec and HVAC School. I have been employed with Madison Medical Center for 38 years and work part-time with Gifford’s Lumber. I have been a resident of Fredericktown all my life.
What experiences do you have which will help you as Mayor?
I have had two terms as Mayor of Fredericktown so I do know the City Government policies and procedures. I have also been in management at the hospital for 30 years.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
I would continue the water and sewer issues and try to implement a plan to get a history of the empty buildings around downtown to attract new business. I would try to bring more jobs into our community by promoting our new business park with our new energy plant. I would also continue working with our police department to ensure safety in our community.
Kelly Korokis
Biographical information:
I am 44 years old and a graduate of De Soto High School. I have 60 hours of college credit in art and education. I have been married to my husband, Ross, a Fredericktown native, for 22 years. We have four children. Our oldest is attending Mineral Area College and the younger three attend Fredericktown Schools.
My first job was in the banking business as a teller and also bookkeeping. We moved away from Fredericktown for a while and I worked in the retail business. When our second child was born, we decided that I would become a stay-at-home mom, which I enjoyed very much. We moved back to Fredericktown when our oldest was ready to start school and have resided here for 15 years.
When our youngest was a year old I began working for the Fredericktown School District. I have worked there for ten years, beginning as a bus monitor and am now a bus driver and computer lab instructor for the Intermediate School.
What experiences do you have which will help you as Mayor?
Having worked in the banking and retail business, I have accumulated a great deal of experience working with the public. While working as a substitute bus driver, I have had the opportunity to see almost every square inch of Fredericktown and have seen areas that have showed improvement while other areas are in need of improvement. Working closely with the students, I have seen how decisions made by the city affect the families of this community. I have also had the privilege of working on the Fredericktown Park Board and have worked with fellow members creating budgets and making improvements to our city parks.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
If I were to be elected, I would like to incorporate a youth work program. I believe that if the youth could stand back and see how their work helps to improve the community, they would take pride in their community and would continue to help keep it a place that everyone is proud to live in. There are other improvements and changes I would like to see happen (ie. doing something with the various property owned by the city, renewable energy, promoting recycling program in more ways, industry development, attracting consumers to downtown businesses, communication with citizens of the community). I believe the specifics need to be worked out together. I may have the idea, but it may take someone else’s know-how to get it done. Every citizen and business owner is an integral part of this community. I believe Vince Lombardi said it best, “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” With everyone’s effort, we can reach the potential that Fredericktown has to becoming the ideal place to live.
Andy Kopczenski
Biographical information:
I’ve lived in Fredericktown for two years after moving from Alaska where I lived for 40 years. I have been doing business as an entrepreneur most of my adult life. Born and raised in Philadelphia and New Jersey, I moved to Alaska at 17. After 40 years of attending the “school of hard knocks,” I now call Fredericktown Home.
What experience do you have which will help you as Mayor?
Being a taxpayer here is all the experience anyone needs to see we are paying too much for too long to support a bloated, inefficient city government. I have lived here for two years after being in Alaska for 40 years. I have been self employed for more than 30 years. I currently am, or have been licensed or certified as an auctioneer (three states), locksmith, tattoo artist (two states), process server, commercial artist, construction, and hold certifications in first aid, AED, blood borne pathogens and STP.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
Most concern the water and sewer systems. Everything else needs to wait. All the grandiose schemes of parks, civic centers and new city buildings are useless if our kids can not drink the water. Secondly, jobs, jobs, jobs. Manufacturing, retail, small business and office employment is the difference between a city that survives rather than thrives.
MARQUAND:
Michael Winder
Biographical information:
I am 36 and a graduate of Woodland High School in Marble Hill. I am employed by Ironworkers Local 396 and serve with the Marquand Volunteer Fire Department. I have lived in the Marquand area for 11 years, seven of which were in the City of Marquand.
What experiences do you have which will help you as Mayor?
I was in the U.S Army and have worked in Construction for 12 years which will help me understand the work that needs to be done in the City. I have also been involved with several different community groups that help out locally. I am currently an Alderman for the City of Marquand.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
Anyone who lives in Marquand, or has been through our town, can see that our streets are in terrible condition. I understand the very limited budget we have, but some things can not wait to be fixed. Most of the work in the City is done by Volunteers, and I have volunteered my time as well for street repairs. The repairs need to be made and some areas can not wait for us to attempt to secure a grant.
I will do anything I can to make sure we make Marquand an even better town than it already is. I would like to find a way to draw people into our town. Marquand is a great community if we can just get the chance to show them.
One small way is to draw people to the Castor River. I believe it is much overlooked and is one of the better smallmouth fishing areas in the state.
These are just a couple of things I would work on and try to change. In closing I would just like to thank everyone for their support and remember to vote.
Denny Ward
Biographical information:
A life long resident of Madison County, I graduated from Marquand-Zion High School and attended both Mineral Area College and Southeast Missouri State University to better position myself in the business world. I am currently the Assistant Executive Director at SMTS and thoroughly enjoy my position.
What experiences do you have which will help you as Mayor?
Collectively, I have been involved in city government for more than 20 years serving as both Alderman and Mayor in the City of Marquand. During my tenure as Mayor the community has prospered and flourished in developing an infrastructure that is conductive to growth and sustainability. I have also been instrumental in obtaining much needed grant funding to support community betterment projects.
What are some specific changes you would try to enact if elected?
My only objective would be to see the community move forward in a positive direction. Marquand is fortunate to have a board that is committed to the same objective and, through their dedication, determination and direction, Marquand will continue to excel.
