These are the responses from David Holroyd, city commission candidate, to the Journal-World’s candidate survey.

1. Name:David W. Holroyd

2. Occupation:Retired from Kmart Dist Center 1998 at age 53. Employed 26 years.

3. Date of Birth: December 4, 1944

4. Years in Lawrence:32 years at present address. In Lawrence several years prior during attendance at University of Kansas. B.S. Education (University of KS)

5. Family: Single

6. Religious Affiliation: No religious affiliation

7. Previous Political Experience:No previous political experience. However, has had managerial experience with U.S. Army 1966 thru 1968 and related experiences during the past 3 decades.

8. In July, a ban on smoking in most indoor public places was implemented by the city. Do you support the ban, and why or why not? I understand the concept but do not support the way it came out. It seems to me that the City Commission should have more important issues than a ban on smoking. Quite frankly, was there really that much of a problem dining out in Lawrence. It is not like we are dealing with 5 star restaurants!

9. What’s your opinion on how the city has managed and planned for growth during the past five years? I would say that the City Commission has mismanaged growth for the past 3 decades. Housing developments placed miles away from shopping. Poorly planned developments with absence of sidewalks. Arterial streets end up having houses face them only to have the residents years later claim that “cars” are driving in front of their homes. “Hit and miss” as the old saying goes.

10. The city has begun a study to determine the fiscal impacts of growth on the city’s taxpayers. Do you believe that residential growth pays for itself or costs existing taxpayers additional dollars? If you believe it does not pay for itself, how would you address that issue? I am concerned that the City Commission needs another study to study the obvious. Residential development needs to have a return of specials for sewer, sidewalks and streets and paid for thru specials on the property tax as it were 30 years ago. If not, there are ways to work with the developers to include the expense in the price of the house. Those I will discuss later if elected.

11. City officials have begun using roundabouts and traffic circles as traffic calming control devices on some Lawrence streets. Do you believe the devices are effective and a good use of city funds? The roundabouts I have used and observed are aesthetically unattractive, poorly designed and J.C. Nichols would be laughing himself silly if he were alive. Can you image the County Club Plaza with junk we have on our streets. Furthermore, they have been placed in older neighborhoods in which the residents babble about the character of their homes. Tell me how the roundabout at 19th and Barker fits the “character” of the Barker neighborhood. I often wonder if the commissioners and city staff ever travel outside of Lawrence. They should and they should carry a camera to capture what other parts of the world and the United States have. Believe me, they don’t have what we have had forced upon us. The money should have been spent on new curbing, sidewalks and some street lights that work would help also.

12. City commissioners have authorized officials with the Lawrence Public Library to explore the possible construction of a new multimillion dollar library in downtown, or the expansion of the current facility at 707 Vt. Do you support moving forward with the project? I would support a modest expansion of the Library at its present location only. It would consist of 3 stories at the west side with the reading rooms on the west side overlooking the park and pool. This town is so small in population that there is no way I would vote for a 25 million dollar Library unless Mr. Carnegie comes back from the dead to build it. About Mr. Carnegie, that find building provided by Carnegie needs to become a Historical Research Library with all documents from the Watkins museum placed in it and all genealogy material from the Public Library there as well. The two facilities should complement each other. Also the Carnegie Building could have space for traveling exhibits. The real problem with any expansion is maintenance. I am baffled that no one at the Public Library can take a broom and sweep the entrances twice a day and some soap and water in the building wouldn’t hurt either. Anyone can build a building but what is the plan afterwards?

13. The city’s task force on homeless services is currently drafting a report for a community wide strategy of providing services to the homeless. What’s your philosophy on whether or how the city should provide services to the homeless? The City Commission has wrangled over the issue of homelessness and needs to focus on those in their home. Soon, they too will become transients. They will move. It appears that those on the Commission and the Task Force are writing their obituaries. Serving on this committee and that committee. The social service agencies and churches need to get a plan and get it soon. If they can’t then the City Commission needs to cut all funding presently in place for homeless programs. Funding ranging from rent for shelters, subsidized housing and emergency shelters. It is as if there is no end!

14. Specifically on the homeless, do you support an idea that has been introduced by a task force of Downtown Lawrence Inc. that would require homeless individuals to show a city issued I.D./service card before receiving certain services, such as food and shelter? A badge system will not work. I can see it now, a Director of Badges and Identification with a staff and rented space in a new privately owned building. What needs to be done is very simple. The agencies involved need to ask a recipient for an ID card, social security number and take a fingerprint. No different than cashing a check at the bank. If no ID photo card, then the individual can be driven to the Motor Vehicle Department and one can be obtained.

15. Do you believe Lawrence has an affordable housing problem, and if so, how would you address it? There is a false perception that housing is not affordable. The real truth is that the expectations are inflated of those wanting to start out. I have seen condos for sale in Lawrence, small homes for sale, and both are affordable. The reality is that Lawrence has never had much housing stock. One only has to look at the neighborhoods built before World War II and those after the Korean War. Not many houses were built. There was no need for them. The fourplexes on Tennessee and Kentucky could easily be converted to condos and a community developed and affordable ownership could take place. Property taxes play a large role in the cost of housing as the taxes are part of the monthly payment. There are ways to have affordable housing but those starting out may have to make concessions.

16. Please comment on your fiscal philosophy and whether you would envision the need to raise taxes during your term on the city commission. No I see no reason to raise taxes. Marion Johnson, the appraiser, will do that by raising the valuations. The staff at the City Hall needs an overhaul. I am not suggesting firing anyone, but if I were on the City Commission, I would make a motion to ask for some resignations and create early retirement for some and then implement a hiring freeze. The City and the School District can no longer be the WPA project of the 21st century.

17. The city currently offers a fixed route public transportation system. Do you believe the system, the T, has been successful and is an effective use of city funds? From the onset I wrote in letters to the paper that the City Bus and the KU bus system should be merged. There was no plan in the beginning and there is still no plan. The bus is needed, I know people who use it and I also know many who would if the routes made sense. I keep looking at the bus stops and wonder how anyone would even know where the bus goes. A map might be nice on the wall inside the stop. What I would do is issue SCRIP to every taxpayer of record and that SCRIP would be used to raise the bus. The Journal World reported that a $150,000 home pays $23.52 in taxes for the bus. So, the taxpayer of the property would get $23.50 in coupons, each worth 50 cents, to ride the bus. If a business got them, they could give them to customers and employees. Why should a taxpayer who is already paying $23.52 pay anymore to ride the bus.

Yes, it would be integrated with KU but the City bus would not go on Campus, it would stop at 11th and Mississippi, 15th and Iowa, 19th and Naismith, and 14th and Tennessee for starters. I would be happy to map out the plan I have.

18. The city currently operates a municipal golf course, Eagle Bend, which has been operating at a loss during the last several years. Do you believe the golf course is an effective use of city funds. The golf course is an amenity just as Brook Creek Center, Senior Center, Community Center, Holcom Park, Dad Perry Park just as the fairgrounds are. Buildings at the Fairgrounds really don’t pay their way either. I highly suspect the management of the course could have some purse strings tightened.

19. The city currently is involved in litigation to stop Walmart from building a new store at the corner of Sixth street and Wakarusa Drive. Do you believe that corner is appropriate for a big box retail development such as Walmart has proposed? Well, the school board was remiss not to acquire the land in front of Free State. That is again another example of hit and miss development. There are two options as I see it. 1. Build the Walmart. Nieman Marcus is not coming, Nordstrom is not coming. Dillards is not coming. Simple as that. Option 2. The school district can get rid of the consulting/management firm and save the taxpayers 6 million dollars and buy the land for practice fields. Of course the land will be off the tax rolls and cost more money for a project for the school. In 20 years those complaining about Walmart will not live here or if they do, they will be glad to have a store as they will need Depends and Denture cleaner.

20. The city currently has a ban that prohibits the use of most fireworks within the city limits during the Fourth of July holiday. Do you support the fireworks ban? The fireworks ban is like the smoking ban. Something to do without addressing real issues of substance within the community. The majority of the residents had no voice in either. If the fireworks ban was a safety issue and a fire issue, how come our insurance rates didn’t drop? If it was noise and litter, those could have been addressed with ordinances on hand. You know, those ordinances previous Mayors signed so they could be signing something.

21. What’s your position on whether and where the South Lawrence Trafficway project should be completed? I have maintained from the onset the trafficway needed to be farther south. I would have part of it as far south as Wells Overlook Road and loop back to the west of 59 Highway and head southwest to link up with an extension of Wakarusa Drive south. At the same time, an upgraded 31st street should take place. Both together need to happen.

22. If elected, what would be the top three issues you would seek to address during your term?
The three issues I would address:

1. Spending neighborhood monies for what they were intended for. I quote from the Journal World, November 21, 1974:

“Long range planner Marth Soler-Munczek gave a brief discussion of the Monday night meeting on the Housing and Community Development Act. She said it replaces numerous federal programs including NDP, Model Cities and Urban Renewal, and added the emphasis is on physical improvements, not social programs, although social programs can be considered “as long as they help low and moderate income families.”

Here we are 30 years later and we still have “target” neighborhoods by default, supposedly low income. Oread is low income because of the predominance of students with limited income. With housing stock costing $200,000 and upwards, it is hardly a poor residential area. Blighted no doubt, but then the neighborhood money could be addressing that with street lighting, sidewalks, alley improvements. Brook Creek is substantially low income due to the excessive amount of public housing in the area. That area too needs a massive infrastructure overhaul.

But the money has gone into social programs such as Hearthstone House at 745 Ohio which no one has stepped forward to claim ownership. Old West Lawrence is not a target neighborhood but 745 Ohio has been rehabbed at the expense of the “target” neighborhood.

After 30 years, one should ask: How can this be? Who has allowed this to take place and why?

2. I would like to see South Jr. High not torn down but used as a Senior Center for Lawrence. It has a kitchen, library, gym, classroom space that could be converted to activity centers. It has a auditorium. There is private money available to assist in the conversion. The new Jr. High should be built adjacent to Prairie Park Grade School.

3. A complete overhaul at City Hall. It is time to re-organize. If it were a private business, it would be filing Chapter 13. Would you buy stock in 6 E. 6th?