Meet the candidates: Nevada City Council seats to be filled with Tuesday's election

Friday, May 29, 2020

With Tuesday's General Municipal Election, two seats on the Nevada City Council will be filled. The election was originally scheduled for April 7, 2020, but was postponed until June, 2, 2020, per executive order due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) global pandemic.

The Nevada City Council consists of five members elected at large by the voters of the city for three-year terms. The city council then selects one of its members to serve as Mayor, who chairs city council meetings and serves as the spokesperson for the city council. The council also selects a member to serve as Mayor Pro-Tem, who assumes mayoral responsibilities in the mayor's absence.

The current council consists of Mayor George Knox, Mayor Pro-Tem Carol Gallagher, Councilperson Ryan Watts, Councilperson Lyndon Eberhard, and Councilperson Brian Leonard. Both Gallagher and Leonard's terms expire in 2020.

Gallagher, as incumbent, will be vying for her seat on Tuesday while Leonard will not be running for another term. In addition to Gallagher, three other candidates have chosen to run for the two open seats. These candidates include Nevada residents Kendall Vickers, Kyla Hendrix, and Richard Brockman.

The Nevada Daily Mail reached out to all four candidates ahead of the Tuesday election with a questionnaire to help assist the community in learning about each of the candidates. Their answers are as follows:

Carol Gallagher

Background

I am a 45-year-old faculty member at Cottey College who teaches and coordinates the Organizational Leadership program. I have worked as a community volunteer since moving to Nevada, having been involved in a variety of community events and programs. Specific involvement includes the Planning and Zoning Commission, the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program through the Vernon County Ambulance District, serving as a member of the Moss House Board, and through the Nevada Police Department VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) program. Previously, I have had leadership roles in Kiwanis International and the Junior League of Dallas and served as Executive Director of DFW Labrador Retriever Rescue.

Project in which you provided leadership

Creating a Better Nevada: During the spring and summer of 2019, I conducted five Community Forums to gather input and perspectives from community members. Our City has ideas and some vision – yet little has been clarified in many years. The first step to determine priorities and perspectives was gathering community input, which was the goal of this process. Hopefully, the Council will be supportive of the next step that engages community members through a survey. I am hopeful that what was learned will be used by the Council to address how we will move into the future in a purposeful way.

Three projects/areas which you seek to address if elected

1. Goals: Work with Council, Residents, and Employees towards clear goals for the future.

2. Partnerships: Increase resident involvement with the city through creative partnerships.

3. Transparency: Focus on communication and transparency, with more consistent work to communicate and interact with the public.

Why are you seeking a seat on the council?

When I was asked to run for my seat in 2017, I was unsure of the role and what I would bring to the Council as a whole. I have spent the last three years learning more about the City of Nevada and better understanding the community and governance structure. I have also spent the time trying to better understand the many elements of government – from hospital funding, to improving infrastructure, to addressing community expectations and involvement. Now that I understand the processes and procedures, I would like to spend the next three years putting to practice what has been learned and working to create a better and more directed focus for the Council. I want to bring my knowledge of organizational effectiveness and leadership strategy to encourage our City Council to be more visionary and engaging with the community. We have made some amazing strides in the past year alone and I’m excited what more might come with additional focus. We make progress by working together, by listening and learning from each other.

Why do you reside in Nevada, Mo.?

I moved to Nevada for work and chose to live in the City of Nevada to better take advantage of the resources in the city. Living close to the hospital, parks, and work makes my choice an excellent one that I am reminded of every day. Before moving, one community leader shared that the best part of Nevada is being able to make a real difference. It’s been exciting to see how true that statement is!

Kendall Vickers

Background

I was born in 1947, in Nevada, and grew up in the Dederick community. I graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1969 with a B.S. Degree in Agriculture. I served on active duty in the United States Navy Reserve from June 1969 to June 1972, serving one year in the Republic of Viet Nam as an advisor to the Vietnamese Navy. I attained the rank of Lieutenant.

In 1974, I earned a Juris Doctorate Degree from the Law School of the University of Missouri at Columbia where I was the Associate Editor of the Missouri Law Review. In 1987, I was awarded a Master of Laws (Taxation) from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

I have practiced law in Nevada since 1976. In 1994 I formed my own firm, the Vickers Law Firm. I have served as chairman of the first Water Study Committee for the City of Nevada, member of the Nevada Planning and Zoning Commission, Vice-President of the Nevada Area Economic Development, member of the Nevada R-5 School Board, and am a current member of the board of NRMC.

Project in which you provided leadership

I have served as one of the original directors organizing what is now the Osage Prairie YMCA, and have served that organization as Secretary and President. I was one of the original organizers of Quality Products, Inc., and have served that organization as Secretary and advisor to the board since 1988.

Three projects/areas which you seek to address if elected

Economic Development; Consistent Code Enforcement; and City County Cooperation.

Why are you seeking a seat on the council?

While Nevada has many advantages over other communities its size, it has “punched below its weight” in economic development. I believe that my professional skills and practical experience will make a positive contribution to the City Council.

Why do you reside in Nevada, Mo.?

I was born in Nevada. After completing military service and law school, I had a great opportunity to join the Ewing Law Firm. I also wanted to live in a community where I could make a difference. Nevada was and is a great community with many advantages and a good quality of life.

Richard Brockman

Background

I am 44 years old; I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Marketing. I am currently self-employed as a handyman/carpenter. I worked for the City of Nevada for 14 years, started in the Public Works Department, then became the Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer. I also worked for the City of Rich Hill as City Superintendent managing all departments (parks, streets, water maintenance, water plant, wastewater plant, electric and trash department) within the city. I worked closely with the Mayor and City Council to get projects completed or work toward moving the City in a direction that best benefited the residents and their tax dollars.

Project in which you provided leadership

When I started working for the City of Rich Hill, I had received a letter from Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regarding the wastewater plant being out of compliance for a few years. I contacted DNR immediately to send me everything that needed to be completed to get back into compliance. Then I got ahold of the Mayor to notify the recent findings. I got a plan of action put together that was presented to the Mayor and Council to get the City out of violation with DNR. Within eight months of being notified of the violations, the City of Rich Hill had received a letter from the State, stating that they were no longer going to proceed with further action against the City.

Three projects/areas which you seek to address if elected

First, we need to address the contract with Alliance. I feel that we do not need their services, as we can take care of water and wastewater in house. Secondly, I would address how we can be mindful of how we spend taxpayer’s money. Third, need to address that all maintenance is completed and thought trough before new asphalt is laid, so we are not going back and tearing up the street because the infrastructure under the street was not addressed before hand. Also have Public Works set up a maintenance schedule on our water and sewer infrastructure system that Alliance has not completed as they have promised they would.

Why are you seeking a seat on the council?

One of the reasons is that taxpayers dollars are spent wisely and the City is thinking ahead how we raise money on future projects that has minimal impact on our citizens.

Why do you reside in Nevada, Mo.?

I have resided in Nevada for the past 22 years and enjoy the people and the benefits of living inside the City limits. The City has a lot of parks to enjoy, the local businesses have what I need without leaving Nevada, quick response from our first responders when needed and great school district.

Kyla Hendrix

Background

I have lived in Nevada my whole life. I attended school at Nevada R5 and college at the Nevada Crowder College campus. For the last 10 years, I have worked for Great Southern Bank. For the last 6 years, I have had the pleasure of serving as the Assistant Branch Manager. Nevada is the place I call home. It is the town I choose to raise my children in, and I plan to grow old here.

Project in which you provided leadership

I believe I am qualified to be a member of this council because of my extensive financial training and wide range of volunteerism. As a bank manager, I have wide-ranging knowledge in human resources, marketing, lending, investing, and saving. I spend much of my time educating and counseling businesses and individuals on their finances to enrich their lives. I feel my experience and training could be useful as a member of this council.

Three projects/areas which you seek to address if elected

I am proud and intrigued by what our city and surrounding communities have to offer citizens. We have beautiful parks, a variety of local shops, and a flourishing agri-community all around us. We are fortunate to have some large companies here that employ many of our citizens, but I would like to see growth. I would like to see incentives for more companies to come to Nevada, creating more jobs, and inviting more working-class citizens. Nevada is ideally located at the intersection of 54 Highway and Interstate 49 and we have a major airport and railway. We should be a top-contender for new businesses to consider. I believe our city has a diligence to invest in Economic Development to encourage expansion.

Before expanding, I believe we need a united focus with our citizens and constituents to clean-up our town and to give it presence, both online and in person. When a guest drives through Nevada, I believe it matters how it looks; beautification is important. As well, our community needs to be a place that families want to live. We need to focus on offering more activities for our youth and families.

Why are you seeking a seat on the council?

I am running for City Council because I am a citizen who wants the voice of reason and concern of other citizens to be heard. I want to continue to build on the work that is being done and help make this a better place to live and work. I want to see expansion so that our city can thrive, long into the future.

Why do you reside in Nevada, Mo.?

I am passionate about my hometown. As a council member, I want to help our city fulfill it’s mission, see our economy prosper, and help our community become a captivating crossroads for our state.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: