HALSTEAD—The City of Halstead has one two-year term position up for election in November. The position is currently held by Dennis Travis. He is the only person registered to be on the ballot.
Harvey County Now reached out to all of the candidates with the same questionnaire. Below are the responses received.
Dennis Travis
Occupation: Engineered Industrial Sales
Why are you running?
To continue my service to this community that I love.
What qualifies you for this position?
4.5 years as a Council member, 4 years as Mayor.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
To keep our momentum with street repairs, street additions, adding housing, and adding commercial businesses. To be a true representative of the citizens of this community. I will continue with my directive to be the most accessible and transparent member of the governing body.
What do you see as the biggest need for Halstead?
Entry-level housing is a huge need. Sidewalk and street projects that are in the works. Cooperation between entities such as city, school, non-profits & local businesses to achieve common goals that benefit the entire community.
What needs to be done about the Halstead Hospital and Halstead Inn?
As a governing body, we need to continue to encourage the owner of these properties to look for ways to rehab these properties and put them back to full service. Because these are under private ownership, we are very limited on what we can do.
What opportunities do you see with the new roads and housing in progress?
New homes! As costs rise with inflation to continue to offer all of the services Halstead does, we have two choices, raise taxes or broaden the tax base by adding more taxable entities. With more people paying into the pot each person’s share can go down a little. This city has a history of governing bodies that have kept us fiscally sound and secure. My intention is to maintain that directive and try to get much-needed infrastructure projects completed. We will continue to get creative with financing via grants and low-interest bonds to maintain our indebtedness to far below the state’s maximum and try to conduct business in as much of a cash basis as possible.
