Candidates congenial at radio forum

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

KTQM Station Manager Bob Coker begins the candidate forum Tuesday night. Nine candidates for four different races attended.

One week away from the Clovis municipal election, most of the people on the ballot met at a small radio station on the outskirts of Clovis for a tradition that dates back more than a quarter century.

The two-hour KTQM political forum, broadcast on KTQM and streamed online, included seven of the eight candidates in contested races and two of the three unopposed incumbent candidates — Mayor David Lansford and District 4 Commissioner Chris Bryant.

District 1 candidate Kyle Snider had a conflicting public meeting and was not present. Unopposed District 3 candidate Bobby Sandoval also was not present.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, and early voting runs through this week.

The forum never got anywhere near contentious, as many candidates echoed those speaking before them, and District 2 incumbent Sandra Taylor-Sawyer closed out the forum by requesting everybody join her for a “selfie” picture.

Due to the large number of candidates, the forum moderated by Station Manager Bob Coker only contained four questions: Views on Clovis’ water issues, the important issue after water, if the city had to raise taxes to cover impending shortfalls and how to attract businesses.

District 1 candidates present were:

• Connie Belcher: With more than 30 years in the medical field, Belcher said she has a perspective from a wide range of people in Clovis and Portales.

“I’m passionate about my neighborhood and my community,” Belcher said. “I have a real passion for the area. My hope is to give a voice to people that may not have had a voice in the past.”

• Ladona Clayton: The Clovis Christian School superintendent said she has a history of meeting challenges and heard a “clarion call” for infrastructure improvements.

“I have many key campaign issues,” Clayton said, “but they all meet on one platform. That is principled leadership.”

• George Jones: The Air Force retiree felt it was time for him to give back.

“Our intent was to leave after three years, and we fell in love with the city,” Jones said. “The support and love the city gave us (during the Base Realignment and Closure fight) was amazing.”

• Rodney Muffley: A cemetery superintendent and lifelong Clovis native with the exception of his U.S. Army service, Muffley said the commission needs to work together for the citizens.

“There are a lot of people concerned their vote doesn’t count,” Muffley said.

• Danny Jariwala: A resident of Clovis since 2014 and owner of two hotels, the former New York City resident asked voters not to vote for people just because they’re the familiar name.

“In the approximate 14 months I’ve been here,” Jariwala said, “I figured I could run and help the city with what I have learned from a bigger city like New York. If I was born and brought up here, I would have run earlier.”

Snider, president of Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education, missed the forum because of a school board meeting, but recorded opening and closing statements in advance and had Kathy Elliott act as a proxy.

“Every day I work through a budget, and find ways to stretch dollars,” Snider said. “I have to prioritize my needs against my wants, and the city commission is very similar.”

Taylor-Sawyer and Gayla Brumfield, who is running against her in District 2, also attended. Both have long experience in the area, with Taylor-Sawyer running Clovis Community College’s Small Business Development Center for more than 25 years and Brumfield owning a real estate business for 35.

“I bring a different perspective due to my background, my experience and my knowledge,” said Taylor-Sawyer, who noted the businesses she’s helped at the SBDC have contributed 288 jobs to the area.

Brumfield, Clovis’ mayor from 2008 to 2012, said she has a passion to serve and said she never takes off her rose-colored glasses when viewing the city.

“I’ve sold Clovis for about 40 years,” Brumfield said. “Everybody moves to a community, or stays in a community, based on what their families are offered.”

Bryant said even though he has no electoral competition, he continues to do legwork and ask residents how he can make Clovis a better city.

Lansford said he felt the same way.

“It’s the first time I’m running unopposed for anything, even going back to elementary school,” Lansford said. “I take the responsibility of being mayor very seriously. I don’t own the position of mayor; it belongs to the citizens of Clovis.”

Regarding the questions:

Water: Brumfield said before she became mayor, she paid lip service to the water situation because it’s what you did. After studying the situation, she was shocked and worked with the water authority on the Ute Water Project. She said it’s a necessary project, even as she hears naysayers.

“It’s going to happen; it is our sustainable piece,” Brumfield said. “The funding is tough to get.”

Lansford said he feels the city has more than 15 years left, and can extend the area’s water by incentivizing agriculture to do dryland farming. Bryant noted conservation, while Belcher felt people need to be more aware of ways they’re wasting water.

Jariwala said he’d have no problem making cutbacks as a business as long as the requirements were universal so nobody gained a financial advantage.

Taylor-Sawyer said the pipeline project is important, but because, “it’s not right here, it’s not right now, we must take steps today to ensure we have water today and tomorrow.”

The next issue: Clayton and Jones both noted infrastructure, with Clayton saying driving down Humphrey Road to work illustrates such problems, and Jones said Cannon officials would sometimes divert traffic away from 60/84 when new personnel came to town.

Muffley said the biggest issue was the budget shortage coming.

Raise taxes? Lansford said he hated the idea of raising taxes, but the city would lose $23 million over 15 years and no city department could alone absorb such a hit.

Taylor-Sawyer said taxes and fees would have to rise to account for the phase-out of hold harmless, which gave municipalities dollars to make up for the gross receipts taxes lost through non-taxing of food and medicine. She sits on the revenue review committee, and said tough decisions are ahead.

Bringing in businesses: Jones said city officials need to ask businesses why they don’t come to Clovis, and noted the city and the base are growing and should be able to find businesses. He didn’t like how Cannon AFB personnel had no reason to stay in town, and spend their time and money every weekend in Lubbock and Amarillo.

Muffley concurred: “My daughters go too, 21 and 22 years old. Sometimes they go to Dawg Houze in Portales. They’re not staying here.”

Belcher said the city has to open doors, and noted a recent bingo parlor met heavy resistance from the city commission.

“I think word does get out that when you come to Clovis, you deal with certain groups that have their own agendas,” Belcher said. “That hurts us.”

Clayton noted that population is a concern, and the city needed to market neighboring communities as additional sources of population.

Brumfield said two restaurants she would not reveal are soon coming to the area, but the city does have challenges because a Google search reveals water troubles and infighting.

Elliott, speaking on behalf of Snider, said Snider would support a racino in Clovis.

Jariwala, who did not get a chance to answer the tax question, found it frustrating that the only answer seemed to be raising gross receipts taxes instead of finding ways to increase the gross receipts.

“Main Street has big potential,” Jariwala said. “Let’s begin by giving free Internet on Main Street.”

Jariwala did, however, suggest hotel occupancy rates as fees in addition to current lodger’s taxes.