The Auburn Municipal Election is Tuesday, Aug. 28.
All eight City Council positions and the mayorship are up for election.
With only three incumbents running for re-election and Auburn’s 20-year mayor choosing to not run again, there will be new leadership in Auburn.
Meet the City Council candidates for Ward 7.
Candidates are sorted by the first letter of their last name. Incumbents are denoted with an (I) beside their name.
Answers were not edited for length or content.
Jay Conner
1. Why did you decide to run for City Council?
The residents of Auburn deserve and must demand a City Council that implements local public policy benefitting its citizenry. At times in our recent history, our City Council and administration have driven the agenda of Auburn without enough input and consultation with our residents. Now, that is a problem with two sides, meaning that though the City Council should have established clearer lines of communications with the public, our citizens must take an interested role in matters that affect the future of Auburn.
I will change the status quo and involve our Auburn family in every decision facing our city government. And I will serve the citizens of Ward 7 and throughout Auburn in a way that insures good communication and cooperation with our residents.
Every policy, program or project must be viewed through this lens: Will this action BENEFIT the residents of Auburn with regard to public safety, education and/or quality of life? If so, we should work together to implement plans which maximize benefits and minimize costs. If not, we should look for other options.
2. What experience do you have that you think would help you if you are elected to the City Council?
I am a lifelong resident (53 years old) of Auburn and five generations of my family have lived and worked in Auburn. I attended Auburn City Schools (K-12). I have a BS degree in Business. For 30 years, I’ve served on local boards and commissions, both private and public, to advance our quality of life in Auburn. My wife, Crysten, and I have a 14-year-old son currently at Auburn Junior High School and I have a 22-year-old daughter in college.
In my work with Barrett-Simpson Engineering, I deal with site and infrastructure construction throughout east central Alabama on a daily basis. So much of our City of Auburn business is concerned with development, infrastructure and utilities. I’m also a licensed real estate broker with Auburn Realty. I understand the issues facing our city in the areas of zoning, housing, commercial and industrial development.
My public service in our community includes the following: Current Chairman Board of Equalization (3rd term); Announcing Coordinator, Miracle League of East Alabama; AUMC Food Pantry. Formerly: Metropolitan Planning Organization; APR Youth Head Coach (Baseball, Football, Basketball); Auburn Chamber Board of Directors; Treasurer, Lee County Assoc. of Realtors; City Council Appointed Task Force for Greenspace, Watershed.
3. What is the most important issue facing your ward that you would like to address if you are elected?
Ward 7 is generally a content area of Auburn with well planned residential developments and complementary commercial and professional mixed uses to serve our residents. We are fortunate to live in an area where so much is readily available. Our residents though, like all residents of Auburn, are concerned with safety (police, fire and codes), enhancing our ACS education system and facilities, and improving the quality of life of our residents in parks and recreation, downtown shopping and parking, as well as improving infrastructure serving all areas of the City of Auburn.
The major concern I have for Ward 7 is our lack of interest and lack of communication between the citizens and our city government. So many residents in Ward 7 don’t believe they have a voice in how we shape our future. Many have never spoken to a City Council member and don’t have any idea who their representative is! Knowledge is power and my aim is to bring every resident into the process so that the City Council acts upon the will of our voters and their families!
Amy C. Crew
1. Why did you decide to run for City Council?
Among all the activities in which I have participated throughout the years and given my knowledgeable interest, some would suggest to me that I consider it. I felt now was the best time as Auburn will have, basically, a new board who can forge ahead positively. I have always been steadily involved in Auburn in everything from church, Metropolitan Planning Organization CAC, PTA president, community involvement, fundraising, immediate past president of DKG, a women's educational honor society, while earning another Master's and an Ed. S. from Auburn University since I moved here 20 years ago. My daughter, who is now at Samford University studying pharmacy, was fortunate to grow up here from AEEC through one undergraduate degree from Auburn University. She also had a wealth of extracurricular activities from which she could choose - and did! As many as she possibly could!
2. What experience do you have that you think would help you if you are elected to the City Council?
I have four college degrees, two in leadership. I spent time in business in Auburn as well as an educator and a student. I encouraged my daughter in seeking her place, so I explored Auburn with her and through her eyes as well. With a background in business, education, community and family, I best represent the most well-rounded candidate for Auburn who has seen it's changes in just 20 years and can see its vision for the next 20.
3. What is the most important issue facing your ward that you would like to address if you are elected?
Ward 7 is a wonderful ward already, but, of course, we would like to add a few things that don't impede or take away from our neighborhood feel and to keep it safe for everybody.
Jay Hovey
1. Why did you decide to run for City Council?
Running for City Council was a goal I set my for myself many years ago. That interest has been fostered by different role models in college and throughout my career who encouraged me to find my own way to give back to my community. I’ve intentionally served in many leadership roles in different civic and professional organizations to gain more experience in leading and working along side of others to benefit the greater good whenever possible. It has also been important to me to learn about how our form of government operates and I have regularly attended city council meetings for many years. Over 20 years later after high school, it is an honor to run as a candidate for ward seven.
2. What experience do you have that you think would help you if you are elected to the City Council?
In addition to the leadership skills I have developed and utilized in the different organizations I have served, I gained great experience learning to be a good listener and problem solver through my role as property manager for over 10 years. I also learned to receive complaints and respond calmly and respectfully whenever possible. Additionally, each of my jobs required the ability to manage large budgets- working within those budgets, balancing them and being accountable to expenses in every instance. I have the ability to keep the big picture in mind and maintain a steady and considerate presence dealing with situations and/or daily operations. It has always been important for me to be a great representative of the organizations and businesses that I served. I live my life with integrity and find it very important to lead by example rather than being all words with little or no actions. The role of city councilman requires all the traits that I have practiced in all the facets of my life. These things are important for how I would want to be represented by a councilman for this ward and are the high standards by which I try to live.
3. What is the most important issue facing your ward that you would like to address if you are elected?
Our ward is fortunate to be a wonderful place to live and work. We have well developed neighborhoods that were thoughtfully planned and expanded into the great subdivisions we have today. The opportunities in our ward for new growth and development fit well with the existing neighborhoods and are planned the same as those from the past making it a cohesive in both design and product. To me, the most important issue for ward 7 is an actually an opportunity to continue and surpass the excellent state that currently exists. On the horizon, the new parks and recreation master plan will bring a great deal of opportunities for our area to have more green spaces that will make our area even better. We have room for more commercial development as well and plans are already in motion for new businesses for the Ogletree Village area to allow our residences the conveniences needed for daily living.
Laura Mirarchi
1. Why did you decide to run for City Council?
After regularly attending City Council meetings for the last year and a half it became obvious to me that citizens felt their concerns were neither being heard nor addressed by the current council. Auburn residents deserve to have representatives who will vote in their (the citizens') interests, not just the interests of those who stand to benefit financially . I decided it was time to put the long-term prosperity of our city above that of short-term profit, so I made the decision to run for Ward 7.
2. What experience do you have that you think would help you if you are elected to the City Council?
I have been a tireless in my efforts to reach out to the local community and organize voter registration drives and increase civic engagement. As an individual who works successfully in the non-profit sector, I routinely collaborate with stakeholders, manage and organize teams of people, demonstrate adaptability & flexibility, and have experience in a resources-constrained environment; each of these skills would be important if elected to the City Council.
3. What is the most important issue facing your ward that you would like to address if you are elected?
We in Ward 7 enjoy lush neighborhoods, a positive public safety record, excellent schools, and a sense of community. As the city's population continues to expand, we must develop a solution to balance our economic growth without sacrificing our quality of life in Ward 7.
Andrew Puent
After grad Auburn I went and played army. I was injured in Baghdad and came back, got 2 masters and became a middle school teacher. I am sick and tired of people in the government not putting people as the priority.
2. What experience do you have that you think would help you if you are elected to the City Council?
Defending and building this nation
3. What is the most important issue facing your ward that you would like to address if you are elected?
Here is different for you... I don’t have issues as much as I want to fix people’s problems. When there is an issue, I take a poll and I go with that. No dishonesty, no conflicts of interest, no siding with the Mayor and other city councilmen due to groupthink or peer pressure; just good ol democracy.
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Elizabeth, senior in journalism and political science, is the community editor for The Plainsman
