Auburn Council Candidates Call for Clearer Communication

Four candidates for Auburn City Council kept returning to one idea at a chamber forum Oct. 13; residents need more information about what the city is doing and why.
The bluntest version came from Shawn Clark, a 16-year council member. Asked what elected leaders can do about apathy and negativity in town, Shawn Clark said the city needs to be more open about its decisions.
“I know 90% of the council meetings I go to, I know it’s already decided,” he said. He said residents pick up on that, and it feeds the negativity.
The Auburn Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum at Auburn City Hall, with Executive Director Leslie Clark moderating. It was part of the chamber’s series of candidate conversations before the Nov. 3 general election. In Ward 1, Shawn Clark faces Logan Merz. In Ward 3, incumbent Nathan Seitz faces Dawna Hall. The event was also streamed on Facebook. Candidates did not see the questions in advance, and for the first time the chamber included questions submitted by residents.
Shawn Clark said he often first learns about issues by email the Friday before a meeting when he gets the board packet. He urged residents to attend meetings and ask questions.
Merz, who has owned his own business for 13 years, said most of the negativity lives online. “There’s so many positive things happening in Auburn, and it’s all happening out in the world, and all the negativity is happening on social media,” he said. He said leaders should show up at community events, adding, “Kindness breeds kindness.”
Seitz agreed and pointed to grants City Administrator Crystal Dunekacke has secured for upcoming sports complex and pool renovations. “It’s a lot easier to put people down and drag people down,” he said of social media. “You don’t have to look at them in the face.”
Hall, an alum of Nemaha County Leadership Class 10, said she feels much of the frustration comes from misunderstanding. She cited the city’s contract with the sheriff’s office, saying many residents don’t understand why the city pays for it or how deputies differ from a police department.
Leslie Clark noted that a chamber survey sent to 120 members ranked downtown revitalization as a priority, including empty storefronts and making downtown more of a destination.
Seitz, who had owned the Auburn bowling alley with his wife, said he is wary of the city telling owners what to do. “I don’t really want someone telling me how to run my business,” he said. But he said older downtown buildings often hide expensive problems, such as wiring that isn’t up to code, which makes programs like tax increment financing through the Community Redevelopment Authority important. He said he is still learning how TIF works and that owners need more education about it.
Hall said she spent time studying the CRA, the Downtown Revitalization program and the Community Development Block Grant that funds it, which requires state approval. She said the city should do more to tell owners that money is available and help them through the application process.
Shawn Clark said owners are responsible for upkeep but can seek grants through the city. He questioned whether downtown money has been divided fairly and said some owners are upset and want more transparency.
Merz put the burden on property owners. He said the city cannot control who owns a building or force anyone to open a business in it. Unless someone “takes the chance at opening a business in an empty downtown building,” he said, it will stay empty. He added that some residents complain about vacant buildings online but do nothing about them.
On trash, junk and neglected properties, Seitz said he learned after joining the council that nuisance abatement is a long legal process. “They just have to have that sense of pride for themselves and their property,” he said of owners.
Merz said some houses aren’t worth saving. “You’re not gonna find someone to buy a house that’s gonna cost $60,000 to fix that they can sell for $50,000,” he said, adding that many will need to be torn down.
Shawn Clark said some owners clean up just enough to restart the process. He acknowledged he has made mistakes approaching owners personally and said it is better to let the legal process work and noted that as a member of the Auburn Volunteer Fire Department, they always welcome the opportunity for a controlled burn training scenario.
Hall suggested organizing volunteers to help owners who feel overwhelmed. She also called for even enforcement, saying she has seen the process start on some properties while others “just as bad, if not worse” don’t appear to get the same attention.
Asked how they decide on a vote, Hall said, “I’m a numbers person.” She pointed to an ordinance about two years ago involving ATVs and side-by-sides, saying that if the city treated one differently from the other, she would want data showing why.
Merz said he seeks information from several people he trusts to give it without opinion attached. Seitz said he leans on his father, who is finishing a term as a Pawnee County commissioner, and his brother, the mayor of Tecumseh. Shawn Clark said that if he doesn’t have enough information or time to research an issue, he votes no rather than guess.
Shawn Clark declined to answer a question about the role of arts and culture in economic development. The other three candidates backed arts and culture. Seitz said the arts “are massive when it comes to just feeling like something is alive.” Hall said the city should make clear when projects are paid for with grants rather than tax dollars, citing a $100,000 Nebraska Arts Council grant the Auburn Creative District received this year. Merz said business owners should welcome the district’s work because it brings visitors who spend money. “Think about your favorite places you visited, and I guarantee it’s not a tour of state prison,” he said.
In closing, Hall said she wants to focus on city spending, checks and balances, segregation of duties and the grant process. Seitz, finishing his first term, asked for votes after what he called “a very interesting first four years.” Shawn Clark said he will keep asking questions and voting for what is best for his ward and the city. Merz described himself as a neighbor with a constant need to keep learning.