Candidate for City Council

By Times staff | Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Davenport voters will elect 10 City Council members and a mayor during elections this year. As candidates announce they intend to run, the Quad-City Times will publish information about them.

OFFICE SOUGHT: 7th Ward Alderman  

NAME: Barney Barnhill

AGE: 68

OCCUPATION: Retired educator, coach and businessman.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of arts, University of Iowa; graduate school at the University of Northern Iowa; teaching certificate from St. Ambrose University.

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE/PUBLIC SERVICE: Has been on the Davenport City Council since 1992. Chairs the Public Safety Committee, served as county waste commissioner and the city’s dog hearing commissioner. Serves on the following boards: Figge Art Museum, Zoological Society, St. Patrick’s Society, German Heritage Center, Park and Recreation Board, Sister City Committee, Scott County Watershed, Friends of Vander Veer.

TOP ISSUES: One of the most important issues facing the taxpayers of Davenport is economic development. We must more aggressively pursue our efforts to attract business prospects and continue to improve upon our marketing campaign as one of the most livable cities in the country. Our economic development staff needs to continue to work in collaboration with local and regional organizations to enhance both our attractiveness and visibility to attract high-quality companies to locate here and provide good jobs and broaden our tax base.

Concern for public safety should always be a top concern for our citizens. We must continue to explore ways to put more academy-trained, sworn officers on the streets. Searching for new policing grants as well as efforts to further civilianize the department should continue. We need to expand the N.E.T.S. program and consider bringing back the gang task force.

We need to continue efforts to save taxpayer dollars by working in concert with the other taxing bodies like the county and school board to find ways to share resources, costs and information.

We need to continue to look for ways to attract new businesses to our gateway corridors by the use of tax incentives as well as financial support for rehabilitating older, existing businesses.