BonnerSprings.com
Edwardsville Council candidate 'can't lose'
By Nicole Kelley

Tom Farris says he’s never lost an election.

March 5, 2009
Photo by Nicole Kelley
Tom Farris

Even though he has run for Edwardsville City Council twice and still has yet to take a seat in the council chambers, Farris feels like a winner just for the effort.

“I can’t lose,” said Farris, who is running in this year’s city council election. “Every time I run I get the word out and get people aware of my goal to bring the Kansas River back to a pristine state. I’ve won every time.”

Farris has been a longtime advocate of the Kansas River and as member of the Kaw Valley Heritage Alliance, he has taken action to clean up the waterway. His goal to restore the river stems from his hope for the future.

“When the water is healthy, people are healthy, the land is healthy, the ocean is healthy,” he said. “For our children and our grandchildren, we have to leave them a healthy environment.”

If elected, Farris said he would like to use the river as a way to boost tourism in the area. He said that Edwardsville had so much potential and was sitting next to a natural resource that could bring a lot of attention to the area if it was cared for properly.

He always said his work with the heritage alliance had also taught him about getting grants and allowed him to form relationships with people in that area. Farris said he understood that money was going to be tight in the coming years, which was why his knowledge of grants was something the city should use to its advantage.

While Farris’ main passion has always been the Kaw River, the Edwardsville resident has several ideas for the future of the city.

Walking, biking and hiking trails from the city to the Village West Legends area is a long-term goal that Farris says is going to happen at some point. He would also like to take a look at the possibility of using solar panels throughout the city.

Standing in the parking lot next to the Kansas River, Farris points to a large commercial building in Edwardsville Industrial Park.

“See that building? It’s huge. Just think if we put solar panels on top of that thing, on top of all the buildings,” he said. “Energy is a major deal, and the council needs to think about that. We need to do things for the future. I don’t think government is looking far enough ahead in planning these days.”

Another idea if elected would be to start a monthly potluck dinner with council members and the community, Farris said. The cost-free event would not only give people a sense of belonging, he said, but it would also allow the residents to speak up about what issues they wanted to see addressed.

“It wouldn’t take much,” Farris said of planning the potluck, “but the rewards would be huge.”

That ideal also goes for his election campaign. Rather than coming to the table with pre-set issues, Farris said he wanted to hear from community members about what they wanted to happen. He said he invited all Edwardsville residents to e-mail him with ideas to tomfarris@myway.com.

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