Andrew Swindle, candidate for Derby City Council Ward 3
Name: Andrew Swindle
Age: 47
Occupation: Associate Professor of hydrogeology at Wichita State University
Previous government service: Derby City Council 2017-present
Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)
I ran for Derby City Council in 2017.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?
Derby has done a good job of getting in front of most issues so there isn’t one top issue in this race, but for me one of the top issues in Derby is infrastructure. Road maintenance is probably the issue most commonly brought up by citizens, and thanks to the recent boil advisory everyone is thinking more about our water infrastructure. The City has been forward thinking in regards to these issues and we have already put plans in place to devote more funding to road maintenance so that we can do a better job of taking care of our roads. Additionally we’ve renegotiated our water agreement with Wichita which will allow us to bring our water wells back on line in the future, which could potentially help mitigate rate increases and provide emergency water in the event of service disruptions. As a council member I would make sure that the issue of infrastructure remains a council priority and that we follow through with these initiatives.
What would your top 3 policy priorities be?
My first policy priority would be to develop a long term funding plan for the Fire Department and the Library, which are currently partially funded by the Derby Difference Sales Tax. This tax expires in 2024, so Derby needs to move quickly on this issue. Second is to develop policies to promote infill development and revitalization. This would shift growth to older areas of Derby, like the K15 corridor, which would help alleviate traffic on Rock Road and help keep down the amount of infrastructure the city has to maintain. Third would be to address affordable housing in Derby. Our Vision Derby 2040 plan provides a blueprint to ensure that Derby grows in a way that is equitable to everyone. Now we need to make sure that the policy matches the vision.
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