Juliaetta mayor will face two challengers

The mayor of Juliaetta is running against two challengers in the Nov. 7 election.

Mayor Richard Groseclose is seeking his third term as mayor. Former Juliaetta Mayor Jeff Lohman and Eric McDowell are trying to replace him.

Groseclose and McDowell responded to a Daily News and Lewiston Tribune questionnaire about themselves and their vision for Juliaetta. Lohman could not be reached.

Richard Groseclose

Why did you decide to run again for Juliaetta mayor?

Serving the Juliaetta community and its citizens has been my life’s work. Attending to the town has been my full-time commitment. I’ve never been a traditional politician. I believe a mayor’s role is not about power, publicity, or directing citizens’ actions, but serving and helping our community. When people have ideas or concerns, they come talk to me and I try my best to help.

What unique qualities do you bring to the table as mayor?

The job of a mayor is a full-time commitment to a community service position. The mayor needs to be available at all times. I am retired and have been giving 100% of my retirement time to serving and helping the community and its citizens. I have been a member of the Juliaetta City Council for over 30 years and the mayor of the town for eight years, which has given me a wealth of experience and knowledge of the town’s infrastructure, daily maintenance needs, and concerns of the residents. During my years of service, some of the things that I have helped Juliaetta acquire are the water and sewer treatment plants, new water reservoirs, Juliaetta Centennial Park, new playground equipment, an addition to City Hall and an expansion of the cemetery. I enjoy helping city staff with the maintenance and upkeep of the town.

What are the most pressing issues the City of Juliaetta needs to address?

Juliaetta’s wastewater treatment plant has been in use for several decades, and is now in need of an upgrade. After three years of our city’s diligent work with engineers to make plans and secure funding, the wastewater treatment upgrade project is on track to begin next spring.

Juliaetta’s community library is housed in an aging building. I have been volunteering to help with the building repairs and maintenance, but would like to see our city realize the dream of a newer building to house our library.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish by the end of your next term?

If reelected, I will continue to do my best to help make our community a better place for our citizens. I would like to see Juliaetta’s ongoing projects, including the wastewater treatment plant upgrade, through to completion. Our community needs to continue providing safe public spaces and facilities, such as our baseball fields, that provide opportunities for recreational and social activities for our youth to foster the healthy development of our community’s future.

Eric McDowell

Why did you decide to run for Juliaetta mayor?

While the current leadership has done many things to improve the city (like the impending sewer project), there have been a number of local controversies that could have been handled more professionally, transparently and quickly.

What unique qualities would you bring to the table as mayor?

I am a native to Juliaetta and my family has a long history with the area. In addition, I have been employed as the science teacher at Kendrick Jr./Sr. High School for the past 11 years. In that time, I have brought in over $130,000 in grant monies to both the school district and community. I am also an active member in two community organizations: the Kendrick Lions club (secretary) and the Juliaetta Community Improvement Association (treasurer). These two organizations are responsible for many community projects/events like Kendrick’s Locust Blossom Festival and the Juliaetta Blackberry Festival, respectively.

What are the most pressing issues the City of Juliaetta needs to address?

The city of Juliaetta is in need of more professional leadership that lacks bias, exhibits better transparency, and responsiveness to both the concerns of the City Council members and its patrons.

If elected, what do you hope to accomplish by the end of your first term?

If elected, I will work to improve the transparency of the city’s business by having the city record and post its meetings rather than private citizens doing it instead. I also will do a better job of communicating city activities online. Finally, I will prioritize bringing city practices in line with modern expectations with regard to documentation and legal consultation.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.