Meet the 4 Holyoke City Council candidates

Four candidates are running for three seats on the Holyoke City Council. They are incumbents Brian Akey, Gene Bittner and Steve Moore, as well as Lisa Werts. The terms are for four years. Still serving are Mayor Orville Tonsing and council members Scott Murray, John Schneider and Kevin Scott, whose terms expire April 2020. The polling place election will be held Tuesday, April 3, at the city hall council chambers at 407 E. Denver St. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Applications for absentee ballots are due Friday, March 30. The boundaries for the single precinct are the city limits.

Brian Akey
    Current employment/past experience: Currently work at Helena, worked for local John Deere dealer for 10 years.
    Education/training: Attended the University of Kansas. I have worked in the ag industry for over 20 years.
    Experience on boards/committees: Served on the Holyoke City Council for eight years, variance board for eight years, Holyoke Golf Club board for eight years.
    Community involvement: Attend First Christian Church.
    Family: Wife Nici; children Sloane, Makenna, Wyatt and Kaitlin; grandson Kyler.
    Reason for seeking election: Continue to serve the citizens of Holyoke, help the City of Holyoke grow and make it a place our kids want to come home to.
    Please share your thoughts on how the City of Holyoke could be improved. Make sure we are spending tax dollars wisely.

Gene Bittner
    Current employment/past experience: I have been retired for the last 12 years living in Holyoke. Prior to my retirement, I worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for 38 years in Nebraska. I started my career in Bridgeport, was there for two years and then transferred to Chadron and was there for six years and then transferred to Chappell, where I completed my career. My job consisted of designing dams, livestock pipelines, terraces and irrigation systems to conserve water and the use of water as efficiently as possible.
    Education/training: I graduated from high school. I took several different engineering training courses through the service. I worked with rural conservation development helping communities with cost-sharing projects so they could receive assistance through the federal government.
    Community involvement: I am presently involved in helping the Holyoke Lions Club in restoring the fish pond platform area where the dirt has eroded away over the years. Helping writing a grant through the Fish and Wildlife Service for a grant which was approved, and hopefully the construction will start the end of April.
    Family: Married to my wife Laura, we have four children between us.
    Reason for seeking election: Holyoke lies in an agriculture area where farmers are becoming less and less each decade. We need to reach out through all avenues we have and try to find employment for our people so we can maintain a positive growth in our community. We can’t afford to lose business.
    Please share your thoughts on how the City of Holyoke could be improved. One famous quote: Ask not what Holyoke can do for its people, but ask what people can do for Holyoke.

Steve Moore
    Current employment/past experience: Western Potatoes Inc.: November 2004-present, Holyoke branch manager; May 1991-October 2004, farmhand.
    Education/training: Graduated Alliance High, 1988; Graduated Nebraska College of Technical Ag, 1991.
    Experience on boards/committees: Board of directors, Western Potatoes Inc., 2006-present; Holyoke City Council, 2010-present; Police Committee; Holyoke Housing Board; Holyoke Recreation Board.
    Community involvement: City Council.
    Family: Dusty Moore, Kanyon Moore, Tobin Moore, Ashton Robles.
    Reason for seeking election: I enjoy doing it. I really like the City of Holyoke — it’s a great town. I think we’ve done some good things in the last several years, and I think there’s more we can do.
    Please share your thoughts on how the City of Holyoke could be improved. I think we need to get the fifth police officer hired. It will give the other guys time off and more time to concentrate on other things also. I think the City’s on the right track for everything that we do.

Lisa Werts
    Current employment/past experience: Currently employed at Melissa Memorial Hospital as a paramedic with emergency medical services.
    Education/training: Paramedic for approximately 20 years; bachelor’s in business administration/management, associate in EMS. Also worked as a branch manager for two large areas for 10.5 years with the American Red Cross, where I was responsible for budgeting and was the community liaison, as well as training community members preparedness and response. Continued training while in this position to improve skills and relationships with over 60 volunteers and the communities with a total of nine rural counties.
    Experience on boards/committees: As the branch manager, I served on numerous committees and councils, nonprofit boards. Regularly involved with city councils, county commissioner meetings, chambers of commerce, emergency operations planning committees. Assisted with numerous grants for community nonprofit teams and organizations.
    Community involvement: Up to this point, I have served my community through my church. I am a trustee and have served with the women’s ministry as well as assisting Youth Challenge as a volunteer paramedic at Camp Machasay.
    Family: My husband and I have lived in Holyoke since April of 2015. My husband Mark is a Sgt. with the Holyoke Police Department. While we have no children, our two cats Sylvester and Misty are treated as if they were.
    Reason for seeking election: Since moving to Holyoke, we have felt like we belong to this community. I began attending the city council meetings last fall and was impressed at the commitment of the council members to carry out the business of the city. This has also shown me that these people are trusted and value their hometown too. Service is important to me, and I feel that I can serve Holyoke in this capacity. I feel like I can offer insight and assistance to the council and community in this role. I have an open mind and feel that I am approachable to those who may have suggestions and ideas to better our community.
    Please share your thoughts on how the City of Holyoke could be improved. I think that it’s important to remember the sign entering Holyoke from the west of town: Pride and Progress. Continuing to look for ways for Holyoke to remain progressive while strengthening our community and relationships with our citizens.