Nickels Sees Cuts Then Growth

Mount Pleasant heads to the polls Tuesday, November 8, to fill four seats on the town council. Three incumbents and six challengers are running for the at-large posts. This week, Mount Pleasant Patch will profile all the candidates.

Chris Nickels isn’t the town council candidate sugar-coating his stance on the issues.

“Mount Pleasant is going to need a lot of long-term planning and tough love,” Nickels said. “It has been easy to say yes over the years … but now we need to get our filet knife out. There might be some pain.”

Read profiles of all the candidates.

Over the next four years, the town council will face major issues, he said. For the first time in recent years, property tax assessments will reflect the deflated real estate market. That probably means flat, or possibly less, tax revenue for Mount Pleasant, Nickels predicts.

On top of that, there will be added costs. The town will be forced to fully fund its retiree healthcare obligations, which will cost roughly $1 million annually. Mount Pleasant also does not have a reserve fund for infrastructure improvements, and there is plenty of bumpy asphalt and potholes that need attention.

“For years, we’ve built really nice facilities,” Nickels said. “We build and build, but that all comes with a cost eventually.”

Nickels says he’s the perfect mix of outsider with some experience in how the town functions. He’s previously chaired the board of zoning appeals, and since that appointment, he has closely followed town business. He ran previously for town council in 2009.

“I know the town; I know how it functions,” Nickels said. “I do not support drastic changes to Mount Pleasant. … Things have changed, so we have to respond to keep Mount Pleasant the great place it is.”

Painful cuts and changes, he said, need to be accomplished with plenty of public input. Like a lot of folks, it was difficult at first for Nickels to navigate how the town does business.

“There’s no way to follow the meetings unless you go,” Nickels said. “Some of the committee meetings are in the middle of the day. It’s hard for regular people to participate.”

The council should stream all its meetings online or gather at more convenient times, he said. Quick vote-and-adjourn council meetings leave citizens confused.

He’s not all about doom-and-gloom cuts. Once the town surmounts its financial hurdles, there are smart ways to grow, Nickels said.

“The good things we want to do for Mount Pleasant depend on having a sufficient tax base,” Nickels said. “Real growth will require new business and creative outside-the-box economic development.”

The town has made a great step by bringing Trident Technical College, but Nickels thinks it could go further now by recruiting a four-year college to open a satellite campus.

“Education is important to business, and it’s the one element we don’t have,” Nickels said.

Nickels roots in Mount Pleasant don’t run as deep as some candidates, but he fell in love with the town in the 1990s and relocated with his family.

“I’m in a really good place where I can devote significant time to this job,” Nickels said. “I think I’m running for the best reasons. I have something to offer and I’m eager to make my impact.”

ABOUT NICKELS
http://www.chris4council.net/
Age: 48
Personal: Married, three children
Professional: Attorney
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Baylor University; Juris doctorate, Northern Illinois University
Why he’s running: “If you are looking for a candidate with integrity, if you are looking for a candidate who believes fiscal responsibility is paramount, if you are looking for someone to hold government to be open and accountable, if you are looking for conservative leadership and values, then I ask you to take a hard look at my candidacy.”