Council candidates talk about Mankato

With the Mankato City Council election approaching, the Jewell County Record presented each candidate with the same four questions, giving each candidate the same amount of time to respond.

The four questions were: What are your plans for our community? What do you see as the major problem in our community, and what are your plans to fix it? How long have you lived in the community? What are your reasons for running?

The four candidates, George Hennion, Susan Abel, Neil “Sam” Becker, and write-in candidate, Kevin Ost responded. Here is how each of the candidates responded:

George Hennion

Hennion’s plans for our community are to find out what our community residents believe their needs are and address those needs. He plans to find out if the community feels engaged and concerned about retention rates, or does the community feel that growth is a concern? Hennion plans to find out if the residents believe they have all of the services they need available, and find out if they feel retirement costs are a concern. He believes listening to the needs and wants of the community is the first step in putting together a plan and a goal that works for the whole of the community.

Hennion sees growth and transparency as two major issues within our community. He adds that towns around us are growing by adding new business ventures. “Our town seems to be lacking in this,’ he said. “Without growth, we lose tax dollars, we fail to attract new people.” Hennion also believes bringing in new people brings in more jobs and more students for the schools, which in turn, generates more money into the community. He would like to see the city council meetings on a public internet forum so it is transparent so the goals and plans of action to achieve these goals are known. Hennion wants the community to be able to see what the city is doing, or going to do, to work on the growth issues.

Hennion purchased his home in Mankato in 2019, but he has lived in the area off and on for many years.

Hennion’s reason for running is he “wants to see Mankato grow and attract new jobs and new people.” He said we were once called one of the “most boring towns in America” on YouTube. Hennion wants Mankato to be known for our culture, our historical significance, our farming heritage, and our values. “We have wonderful people here,” Hennion said. “The friendships are real and genuine. The culture is amazing, deep rooted in family values, faith and a hard work ethic.”

Susan Abel

Abel’s immediate plan for the future of the community is to continue to support the various projects set in place since she has been on the council. She says “being keenly aware of the need for water line replacement, Phase one of three, is soon to become a reality.” Abel said this project calls for water line replacement, new fire hydrants, and meters in the oldest area of town, with Phase 2 and Phase 3 to follow. She said the council has addressed the seriousness of the sewer lines and a project has been adopted for the repair of those lines as well as manhole repairs. Abel said “another project adopted was a Land Bank, which will help to facilitate improvements to our town.”

Abel said the council has already been addressing some of the major problems in our community, such as water lines and sewer lines. She said “I believe the Land Bank will continue to implement projects to improve various conditions in town. Some of the problems of our town can be improved upon with the enforcements of present ordinances.”

Abel is a life long resident of Jewell County, having graduated from Mankato High School. She has been a resident of Mankato for 16 years.

Abel said her reason for running is to ensure continuance of projects started at the present time. She said she is looking to the future of the city. Abel stated that “Above all, I will endeavor to work with the council to maintain a strong financial basis for the city.”

Neil “Sam” Becker

Becker’s plan for our community is to make Mankato a better place for our younger generation.

Becker sees the major problems with our community are the sewer and water situation. “We have some old water lines and the sewer lines are mostly out dated,” Becker said. “The council and staff are in the process of replacing or repairing this situation. We are working with the government to have some financial help with these projects.

Becker has been in Mankato for almost 40 years. He has been in the county for an additional 20 years.

Becker said his reason for running is to see Mankato grow and have a draw for our younger generation to come back to raise a family. “We need our older generation to come back that would like to retire here,” Becker said. “Keeping this all in mind, we need to also take care of the ones that live here now.”

Kevin Ost

Ost’s biggest plan for the community is to see continuous improvements. He would like to see Mankato as a community people take pride in being a part of, he would also like to see the town stand out as a major part of North Central Kansas. Ost believes making continued improvements will go a long way in making this happen. He knows there is already a major water and sewer project in the works and Ost also believes the Mankato Land Bank is trying to do good things by getting rid of dilapidated structures around town and putting some properties back on the tax rolls. Ost said, “I also understand that improvements take time, energy and resources, as a councilman, I would seek community input on prioritizing these improvements so we keep progressing as a community.”

Ost sees the empty buildings in our business district as a problem in the community. He would like to see more entrepreneurial undertakings in our community. Ost said, “We need to keep our existing businesses, but also see what else we can add to keep revenue local.” He would like to see Mankato as a destination people come to do their shopping. He said “reaching out to franchises and letting local entrepreneurs know what resources are available to start businesses will help with this.” Ost also believes dilapidated structures and properties are an issue in the community. He likes what the Land Bank is trying to do to clean these properties up and getting them back on the tax roll if the taxes are not current.

Ost has lived in Mankato for 16 years. He grew up in Burr Oak. He has lived in Jewell County all of his life, with the exception of his college years and the first seven years of his teaching career. Ost moved to Mankato when Rock Hills School District was formed. He said, “I am definitely a small town type of person, city life is not for me. I have made the decision to live in and raise a family in a small town, work in a small town, and even start a business in a small town.”

When asked why he chose to run, Ost said, “I see the opportunity to serve on the council as a chance to take what is already good in the community and try to make it even better, benefiting all residents of Mankato.” He has been a member of the Mankato Land Bank board for the last year and a half. During that time, Ost has crossed over into certain aspects of the city council. He said “as a councilman, I understand I am part of a collective group working for the betterment of the community.”

We at the County Record hope this helps you to learn more about each candidate and be more informed when you go to vote.