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Tonganoxie City Council candidate questionnaire: Melynda Harbour

By Staff | Apr 6, 2015

Estuardo Garcia

Melynda Harbour

ELECTION RACE: Harbour is one of six candidates vying for one of two City Council seats.

AGE: 49

OCCUPATION: Paralegal

YEARS IN TONGANOXIE: 12 years

Melynda Harbour is a candidate for Tonganoxie City Council. She is one of six candidates seeking one of two vacant seats.

What made you decide to run for office?

The fact that there is a $14 million debt and businesses have closed with nothing replacing them indicated to me that a change is desperately needed in Tonganoxie. The reason we moved here was that it was a small town with low taxes and an impressive downtown with a great selection of shops and restaurants. Time changes things, however, in this instance not for the better. Taxes have consistently gone up and businesses have closed, leaving empty buildings not only on Fourth Street, but also along U.S. Highway 24-40. As I stated earlier, change is needed as well as new ideas and I believe that the ideas that I have will help stimulate the economy in Tonganoxie.

What special qualifications would you bring to this office?

I worked for a town the size of Tonganoxie for six years and during that time, I was able to have input in the budget process as well as learn the process of applying for grants. I have a background in finance and hold a bachelor’s in business management.


How do you plan to stay in touch with constituents if elected?

I plan on continuing to participate in local events and shopping locally.I will continue to talk to people just as I have done so that I can stay in touch with what the community feels is important.

What issues are you hearing about most from voters while on the campaign trail?

That downtown needs to be revitalized that taxes have continually gone up. I was told by one family that the reason Tonganoxie appealed to them was the lower taxes. The homeowner stated that the taxes have continued to rise to the point they are almost as high as were they moved from.

What are the three most important issues facing the city and how would you address them?

Debt. While steps have been made to pay it down, more needs to be done, such as attracting new businesses.

Economic development. More needs to be done to attract new businesses. Two businesses parks are located on both ends of town that give access off a major interstate and highway. The business park located close to Stone Creek has set with many vacant lots since my family moved here 12 years ago.