Candidates for upcoming City Council races got their first taste of the time commitment they will face if elected. The trio showed up last Saturday morning for what City Manager Bill Watkins said should be a two-hour orientation on the city’s functions and responsibilities. It took longer, of course.

Allan Sharrock and Jason Thornhill, who are vying for the Second Ward seat that is being vacated by 18-year incumbent Chris Janku, and Rod Robison, who is challenging three-year incumbent Barbara Hoppe for the Sixth Ward seat, listened to presentations by department directors on their functions and activities. The city staff also briefed the candidates on important issues the council will most likely deal with this year. The election will be held April 7.

Orientation lasted three hours, and candidates were offered the opportunity to ask questions. They mostly took notes so they could later revisit what they couldn’t absorb during the barrage of information. The staff provided PowerPoint slides and a casual setting while cracking the occasional joke and making lighthearted quips about how the city operates and who on staff they would really need to listen to.

“Nobody’s afraid of Bill [Watkins], but everybody’s afraid of Carol,” City Counselor Fred Boeckmann told the candidates, referring jokingly to Carol Rhodes, who works in the city manager’s office. “If she tells you to do something, you better do it.”

Watkins contributed occasionally during the presentations. For instance, Watkins informed the candidates that the Water and Light and Public Works departments could possibly lose up to 25 percent of their staffs, many in supervisory positions, to retirement soon. According to Watkins and Interim Police Chief Tom Dresner, department transparency and accountability are also ongoing concerns among citizens. And of course, the economic downturn will make a new council member’s first experience with the budget process a challenge.

“Next year, the budget is going to look like holy heck,” Watkins said, reflecting the anticipated sharp reductions in sales tax revenue.

The three candidates have indicated their desire to focus on economic development and job creation, reflecting the perception among many in the business community that Columbia is sometimes unaccommodating to business interests.

A business community litmus test

The CBT asked the three newly filed candidates for City Council how they would have voted on three development projects important to business interests in Columbia. Second Ward Rep. Chris Janku, who is not seeking re-election, voted in favor of each of the proposals outlined below, and Sixth Ward Rep. Barbara Hoppe voted against each of them.

Although the City Council eventually approved the Crosscreek Center development plan last August, it was initially voted down because of opposition from nearby neighborhood associations. In March, the City Council voted 4-3 to deny a request by Stadium 63 Properties to include a car dealership in the 74-acre development at Stadium Boulevard and U.S. 63, prompting a mediation process among the developer and neighborhood associations.

In May 2008, City Council voted 5-2 to rezone land at Old 63 and Alfred Street from residential to office to allow Landmark Hospital to build an acute care center there. Nearby residents voiced concern that the hospital would diminish the historic character of their neighborhood and that the owner, who also owns parcels surrounding the hospital site, would seek to have those zoned for commercial use in the future.

The extension of Maguire Boulevard, a road running parallel with Lemone Industrial Boulevard, was another issue that barely won council approval. The 4-3 vote in June to extend Maguire to the future Stadium Boulevard extension was designed to alleviate traffic congestion in Concorde Office and Industrial Plaza, located on the east side of U.S. 63. Opponents were concerned about the cost of the project and construction runoff damaging the streams in southeast Columbia.

Second Ward candidate Allan Sharrock said he would have voted yes on the Crosscreek plan in March. Sharrock added that he would have liked to see the plan gain approval sooner. He also said he would have supported the Landmark Hospital rezoning but refused to comment on the Maguire Boulevard extension because he was not familiar with the public sentiment on both sides of the issue.

Sharrock said if elected he will focus on job creation, particularly efforts to attract corporations offering high-paying jobs, which would in turn help reduce crime. He added that Columbia needs to recognize that it is competing with other municipalities offering more attractive business incentives. “Those who snooze, lose,” he said.

Sharrock’s opponent for the Second Ward seat, Justin Thornhill, said he would have voted against the initial Crosscreek plan, citing the public disapproval of the project. But he said that he would have voted for both the Landmark rezoning and the Maguire Boulevard extension.

Like Sharrock, Thornhill is a strong proponent of job growth and economic development. Specifically, Thornhill said he would focus on fostering collaboration between the Chamber of Commerce, REDI and other business organizations.

Rod Robison, who is challenging Barbara Hoppe for her Sixth Ward seat, said he supported the Crosscreek development from the beginning. He said nearby residents need to understand that “you’re going to get commercial development” on the intersection of a U.S. highway and major roadway. Robison also said he would have voted yes for Landmark rezoning and the Maguire extension, citing the “dangerous” conditions created by the traffic congestion in the industrial park.