Wile, Naab and Morrical our picks for City Council

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2:52 PM Friday, October 30, 2009

Come January, Hamilton City Council will look very different than it does today. Three council seats are open in the Nov. 3 election because James Noonan, Kathy Becker and Edward Shelton are not seeking re-election.

Eight Hamilton residents are vying for the open seats in next Tuesday’s election, and all are to be commended for their willingness to step into this difficult job and for the extensive work they’ve performed to prepare for this campaign.

In our estimation, the best of the field are businessmen Rob Wile, Timothy Naab and Phillip Morrical Jr.

Wile gets the highest recommendation from our editorial board. In a meeting with our board and in campaign forums, Wile has demonstrated the clear articulation, poise, professionalism and command of city issues that a voter would hope to find in a candidate. We’re confident that he would be decisive and initiate positive change at City Hall, if he’s elected, and not hesitate to weigh in on the city’s serious budget issues.

Wile has campaigned effectively on a theme of making City Hall more accountable and transparent to taxpayers — a goal several candidates have discussed this fall — and restoring trust. We also like his commitment to increasing economic development activity and his focus on bringing in and supporting small businesses in Hamilton, especially those in medical, clean energy and technology fields.

And we agree with his assessment that the current City Council has been guilty of micro-managing city business at times — such as the long discussion over traffic cameras — and has been “too mired in day-to-day” functions. Wile gets our enthusiastic endorsement.

Of all the candidates, Naab and Morrical are perhaps the most knowledgeable about City Hall, by virtue of their involvement and experience. Among other civic accomplishments, Naab chairs the Hamilton Civil Service Commission and has been a member of the Vision 2020 Commission. Like Wile, Naab will bring an intelligent and professional approach to the city’s challenges, and will also focus on economic development efforts. We also like his pledges for more accountability and bringing tested business principles to bear on the management of City Hall.

Morrical, who has a long history of community involvement, is running again for council after an unsuccessful campaign in 2007. We think he would be a valuable member of council because of his extensive knowledge of the city, its history and its neighborhoods.

Over the years, Morrical has dealt with City Hall enough to assess some of its problems — too-rigid thinking, a lack of friendliness toward businesses and residents — and has pledged to bring “common sense” and out-of-the-box thinking to the council table. We believe Morrical would not be afraid to rock the boat and to recommend changes that will make city government more efficient and more accessible.

There’s a good chance that another member of the current council — either Pat Moeller, Carla Fiehrer or Archie Johnson — will be elected mayor, creating another vacancy on City Council in January. If that happens, the new council’s first task will be to appoint a replacement and they may want to consider a candidate from the field running now.

If voters follow our advice and elect Wile, Naab and Morrical, the new council might want to consider another sound candidate from this field — local businessman Robert Brown.

Like other candidates, Brown has identified some of City Hall’s shortcomings — especially the red tape encountered by businesses —and says he would insist that city government become more business-friendly. We liked his optimism and positive attitude, and believe he should be considered for an appointment if Moeller, Fiehrer or Johnson becomes mayor.

We commend Brown and the remaining candidates — Kevin Nieman, James Johns, Z. Ann Rowe and Larry Neal — for their willingness to serve on council. They all have identified changes that are needed at City Hall and offered their thoughts on addressing the city’s budget crisis, but we believe they are not as well-prepared to serve as Wile, Naab and Morrical.

The new council members will not have much time to enjoy the new role, after they’re sworn in, because the city’s budget problems will soon demand their attention. We believe that Rob Wile, Timothy Naab and Phillip Morrical Jr. are the candidates most prepared and capable to get to work on Day One and to effect the changes that will address the issues identified during this campaign season.

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ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW.. I'LL NOT VOTE FOR ANY OF THE CURRENT "IDIOTS" OOPS SORRY I MEAN INCUBENTS

ANGRY CITIZEN
12:58 AM, 11/2/2009

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MMMMMMM Transplant to Hamilton left his brain behind it seems! I would have to say that the endorsement should have been Nabb, Morrical, Brown. I have spoke to Rob Wile a number of times and he can talk talk talk, but never has any substance behind all the rhetoric he has.

Transplant Missed the Brain
5:28 PM, 11/1/2009

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Again, thanks for the Journal News endorsement. If the citizens of Hamilton want to look to the future, vote OPPOSITE of the Journal News endorsement of candidates. Vote Nieman, Johns, Rowe and Neal for city council and Gary Gabbard for Mayor.

Transplanted Hamiltonian
9:11 AM, 11/1/2009

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