Council hopefuls target Columbiana’s spending

By D.a. Wilkinson

A Republican and an independent are making their first runs for office.

COLUMBIANA — Two incumbents and two newcomers are vying for two seats on city council.

Councilmen Thomas Ferguson and James C. King are running for another term. Neither responded to the Vindicator questionnaire on which this story is based.

Challengers Bryan Blakeman and Richard McBane are making their first runs for public office. Blakeman is a Republican who is on the finance board of the executive committee of the Columbiana County Republican Party. McBane is an independent.

At the last council meeting, Blakeman told council he believed that figures city officials were debating for a monthly fee to help deal with storm flooding were much too low. Officials were considering as little as $3 a month.

For decades, city officials have been debating how to deal with poor storm drainage.

Blakeman said his work experiences taught him “that every single cent comes with hard work and cannot be frivolously spent.”

He added that the major issue in the race is “city council itself.” He said he wasn’t trying to be offensive to council, but said he hoped to challenge council members to better protect the taxpayers’ money by not rubber-stamping purchases. He added that he has not taken any money in campaign contributions.

McBane has been on the city’s planning commission since 2008.

He says he has more than 30 years in business planning and project management and that experience would benefit the city.

He said the city does a good job in providing services, “but portions of the city’s facilities and equipment are aging and will require repair or replacement in the near future.”

McBane said city officials should prioritize “community needs to update facilities and maintain city services within our existing tax-and-fee structure.”

He said council should weigh its options fiscally when maintaining, repairing or replacing facilities.

“Fees and taxes should only be increased when there is no other alternative, McBane said.

wilkinson@vindy.com