Latest / Rick Outzen: (we don’t) color on the dog / Charles Bare on District 2
Transcript
- Rick Outzen: This is Rick Clog Live. We've got an election coming up in November. It is we've got two city council races that are contested. District 2, we have Councilman Charles Baer running against Sherry Myers, who had that seat for 12 years until she term limited out. We've got Charles with us today. Charles, thank you for coming. Councilman Charles Bare: You're welcome, Rick. Thanks for having me. Rick Outzen: Yo, Let's just get right to the point. What have you delivered for District 2 residents? Councilman Charles Bare: I think the biggest thing I've delivered for District Two is someone who's responsive to their needs. And really what comes down to to it for me is constituent services. You know, if somebody needs something, there's an issue with their garbage, there's an issue with law enforcement. I am the conduit to help them get answers to that. You know, as one of seven council members, it's a challenge to get anything really accomplished without other votes. so you know, there's not anything I have directly done I see on council. You know, I voted on things, but there's there's It's a team sport, it really is. So constituent service is where I focused. Rick Outzen: You know, you were before in the old sist well in the d in the original strong mayor charter there was an at large seat. You held that. How's it been different from being at large to being a d a a a sole district? Councilman Charles Bare: You know, it's interesting because as an at large member, you're kind of backfilling, I think, other council members. And and some council members, you know, at that time were very responsive to voters and some weren't. So there often times I'd get calls from other districts and help them with their issues. And you know, that happens rarely now. I've I've had few people who thought they were in my district and weren't, and I still help them. You know, I'm like, well, I'm not your councilman. But so for me, I think the focus has been you can't completely disregard the rest of the city. Okay. You I'm a district councilman but I but our city is small. Everyone uses resources across our city. So I don't see it being a huge difference. It's just that I can focus on the needs of a smaller group. Rick Outzen: Right. Yeah. The is there is there a vote that you've made that you wish that you could do differently if you took it back? You would take it back? Councilman Charles Bare: Probably the second vote that we made on the Circle K. It wasn't a Circle K at the time, it was an Aldi. And the first vote we had on it, I voted no. I voted with the citizens that were there. And then where was that? It was the one that's up on Creighton. okay. They put the new it's a tippin' and Creighton. yeah. We were rumored again Aldi and then all the things happened with Aldi and Windixie and then they put an Aldi where Wendixy used to be and they didn't need that spot, so they sold it off. And now there's a circle K there and a lot of trees were lost, a lot of people are unhappy with it, and I wish I'd stuck the course and voted against that. Rick Outzen: Now is there a vo and I like to talk about votes because i it's it's you do a good job of it and I always tried to do it when I was on the council in Gulf Brees is it's kind of an etch a sketch moment. Yes. You know, you need to go ahead and move on to the next issue, and or you'll be forever you know, tied up in knots when you don't need to be. But it is what was a tough vote for you? Councilman Charles Bare: I I think there there are lots of tough votes. you know, for me there have been some that come like the the curfew is one. I initially started out thinking we need a curfew and then I started talking to people and and very often, you know, as a council member you feel like you have the answer and then you start hearing from people talking to people and I'm not at a single person tell me we need a curfew. So I changed my opinion on that and I wanted to support the chief and support the mayor on that, but I just I couldn't Given the circumstances of what I've wide heard, you know. Rick Outzen: Yeah, you know, that's interesting because I know i it's the great thing about being a council person if if you're open for input, and you always have been, is people will tell you what they think. You know, and most often they're respectful. I mean there's some you know, there's sometimes they may not be but as a whole at the ballpark or or walking, you know, walking your dog or, you know, grocery store, people will come up and and That's a great way to kind of get a feel for that. And I c I can s you know, it it's it's only i it's difficult to get input from people. Councilman Charles Bare: It is. Yeah. It is. you know, I've done over a thousand doors since the beginning of September, walking door to door, and the greatest thing about that is I get to hear from people, you know. A lot of people just take the card and go. But a lot of people, they have something they want to share, you know, and they may not like a vote that I voted on, you know, for they still like me, but that vote they didn't like. I can take that. That's you know. So and that's a good healthy relationship. We're not always gonna agree and we can disagree on some things. Rick Outzen: What do you think is the proper role of the city council w with the mayor? When's the time to push back and when's the time to defer? Councilman Charles Bare: I think clearly when I hear from my citizens that they don't want to go the direction the mayor wants to go, that's when I push back. and I I go into neighborhood associations, I'm very active in my neighborhood associations, listening to them, finding out what their interests are, and before I, you know, speak there. And so and and as I tell the mayor, my position is evolving up into the point that I vote often, you know, because I'm listening to the public. I've I've heard from my constituents. So I I really think for me it's driven by constituents. Rick Outzen: Yeah, w what do you see as one of the big some of the you know, you're you're seeking another term. What's what's there to do in District Two? Councilman Charles Bare: My district two, I I think as we look at it's hard to to ignore amendment three, okay? So if Amendment three passes and property taxes cut in the next couple years, law enforcement, public safety, things of that nature become a challenge. you know, we have to keep them, but we can't expand them. In our district, we've got some issues, I think, with police presence. And I've talked to the chief about this. The chief has been outstanding about going up there, meeting with citizens. even giving his number out to citizens so they can talk to him. So I feel like we've got the right partner in the in the police department now. But that's a big one. you know, I think infrastructure, there are things happening downtown that always come come up to our neck of the woods, repaving sidewalks, things like that. I've got lots of people that want sidewalks, they don't seem to go where we are, and trees. You know, trees are consistently going in places that I don't think they're really needed. You know, and and I I have not gotten good justification We don't have a tree study we're using, we're using the methodology, but not an actual tree canopy study. So to me that's a problem. Rick Outzen: You know, t someone's trying to picture District Two. w how give me your s roughly what the boundaries are. Councilman Charles Bare: know, it starts at Fairfield and it goes up, you know, ninth and twelfth and then it crosses it over at Bayou to just be west of ninth Avenue. So it goes up to pretty much where like the mall is and stops. Rick Outzen: But then does it go over into Sacred Heart? Councilman Charles Bare: yes, it takes Sacred Heart, goes all the way up to Olive. Okay. And there's some apartments on Olive and there's a couple little streets over there that are d kind of Not connected to anything else. Right. From what I understand, someone lived there, a police chief or something, and they just annexed him in. So they they don't even know who I am when I get there sometimes. Like, d we're in the city? I'm like, Yes, look at your trash can. Rick Outzen: It's kind really hard to figure out district one and district two because it it it's it is a little bit confusing how it goes, but it it's it's a pretty large district and it has a lot of of commercial retail and a lot of jobs created in in in that. so it it's it I think that it the best way is to go to the city's website. It is Councilman Charles Bare: And people ask me it's like, well, what district am I in? I'm like, I can just keep my own district straight. I the the the others, it's so hard to figure out where their boundary is. Like I know where mine is. Rick Outzen: All right. All right. All right, we've got we've got a minute. So what do you want voters to remember on election day when they mark their ballot? Councilman Charles Bare: Yeah, I you know, I I'm a veteran, you know, I'm a an an army veteran and I believe in service. That was instilled into me by my parents. I have always wanted to serve others. And for me, answering the phone, you know, responding to a text, all of those things, being the person that will listen to them and take action to help them. That is my core focus. And I will always I will never forget who that who I'm working for, and whether it's the mayor, another council member. You know, if I need to to exert some influence, try and exert some influence based on what my constituents want, I will do that. Thank you, Rick. Yeah, thank you very much. Rick Outzen: Charles, thank you so much. So good luck. We'll go ahead and take a break. We'll be right back with Rick Slaugh. Councilman Charles Bare: What?