Newberry City Council District Six Q&A

NEWBERRY — City of Newberry elections will be held Tuesday, September 8. Incumbent David DuBose is being challenged in District Six by Chris Kemper.

The following questions were submitted to each candidate via email. Answers have been minimally edited for spelling, grammar and punctuation.

What made you decide to run for election/reelection to City Council in 2020?

DuBose: “When I first ran for this seat, my focus was to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Newberry. We had two swimming pools and a very active recreation department with activities for every age group. I wanted to get some of that back for our residents. One especially important achievement that I am very proud to say I pushed very hard for is our new city park (yet to be named) located on Glenn St. which will open on a limited basis on Tuesday, September 1. It is actually a vast recreation complex with initially offering a splash pad, playground, multi-purpose fields and walking trail. The baseball fields should be ready for next year’s season. Coming soon will be outside ping pong and pickle ball and some use of the beautiful lake. I want to be part of finishing this and other projects we have started. I chose to run for re-election to Newberry City Council to help in providing services such as this to our city.”

Kemper: “I am running for the position of City Councilman for District 6. This is my first run for a political office.

I moved to Newberry about 5 years ago with my family. Prior to that, I had a 23 year career, managing organizations up to 1,500 personnel and budgets of up to $70 million.

We came here for a change and were immediately welcomed into the community. I got involved in the community by joining the board of the Newberry Downtown Development Association (2017-2020) and the Newberry YMCA (2016-2018). During that time, I was working remotely for a small technology company in Colorado. I hired 75 people in 4 months from Spain to California to Canada and Brazil. The entire team worked remotely. I had my eyes opened to technology and remote work.

In 2018, I decided to jump into small business. My partners and I created a digital marketing firm that is located downtown. Over the past 2 years, we have helped small businesses increase their digital presence. We have spent a number of hours speaking with students at the Newberry County Career Center and Newberry College about careers in marketing. I believe in giving back to the community.

We also have local folks working for us – Newberrians working in technology.

For the past few years, I have been watching what is going on in the community. There are a lot of good things, but there are also some things that need to be fixed.

My first concern is quality of life. Government’s number one priority is providing a safe and secure environment for all people in the community. We have to hold taxes at bay. We must decide on whether or not we want to enhance the quality of life to draw families here. We must increase walkability for the safety of your citizens.

My second concern is responsible growth. We all see the growth creeping up I-26 from Columbia. If we aren’t planning and preparing, we will either be caught off guard or overrun by development. From housing stock, to economic development, to leveraging our past, to solving the food desert problem, we have work to do.

My third concern is infrastructure. Road maintenance, recycling, and storm water and sewers. We must fix our roads. There are a number of citizens in the District who have been impacted by storm water runoff. We need to understand and work to solve these problems.

My final concern is the future. We need to grade ourselves on how well we met the goals in the 2010-2020 City of Newberry Strategic Plan. More importantly, we need to assess what did not get done. We need to be focused on economic development and partnerships to maximize the impact of high speed internet. This will require a change of mindset and focus.”

If elected, what will be your first priority? Why?

DuBose: “I have several priorities for the coming months. The first is that we closely monitor the course of the COVID-19 virus and do whatever is within our power to keep our citizens well. This COVID-19 is a moving target and we must be ready to make any changes necessary. Another big priority for me is getting our new city park operational. I have pushed for a new park for years, and it is especially important for me to see this park fully operational and being widely used and enjoyed by all of our citizens, both young and old. We have over 100 acres of land there, and we are just now in phase one. We will be eager to see what additions to the park our residents of Newberry request. It will be a continuing priority in the years to come.”

Kemper: “I will spend the first 60-90 days looking, listening and watching. During this time, I will be assessing and evaluating.

Priority 1. Identify areas that have unresolved issues.

Priority 2. See and understand the information that is being provided to the Council on a monthly basis. Determine if that corresponds with the perception and understanding of the District’s citizens.

Priority 3. Increase communication to the citizens of the District.”

Name one specific change you would like to bring to the City of Newberry.

DuBose: “Everyone talks about change, but change is inevitable and is a double-sided sword. Change can be good, or it could be terrible. Building on our successes, as well as working smarter, not necessarily harder, are two policies that have worked well for the city. We knew that to keep up technologically, it was vital to bring high speed internet to Newberry. This recent change has empowered business people and all citizens with the highest quality internet services that require large amounts of data transmission. Our broadband is fast, affordable, and reliable. We are always open to opportunities for growth and development. An experienced council is needed to make responsible changes within the city, and I look forward to the next challenge.”

Kemper: “I want to change the focus from providing festivals to creating an economic environment that brings small businesses, specifically technology-based businesses, to Newberry. Small businesses drive 80% of the economy. Technology businesses pay better than most industries. We have a strategic advantage with high speed internet. We need to maximize that to our benefit.

Numerous studies have shown that the younger generation wants a live-work-play environment. We have the pieces, we just need to put it all together.”

In what ways would you support and work with the multiple departments at the City of Newberry?

DuBose: “The City Council does work closely with all the departments in the city, especially during budget sessions and projects. There are always unexpected changes that have to be made, and working with the city manager and department heads is vital in keeping Newberry running smoothly. I think I have a good relationship with all the department heads and plan on keeping the relationship open and unbiased. It is especially important to have good relationships with the city manager and department heads so you can communicate openly and freely. This is the only way to do the best for the city. Fortunately, Newberry’s various departments are headed up with highly qualified, efficient leaders. We expect excellence from these departments and they deliver. Newberry’s Police Department has been recognized for having a fully certified police department for 18 years in a row. Newberry’s Financial Department has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 27 years in a row. Newberry is one of 16 cities in South Carolina to be designated a Tree City USA. In 2019, Newberry’s Electric Utilities received the Safety Award of Excellence. The City Council was added to the 2019 Honor Roll for Elected Officials Institute of Government. I was proud to be part of the Award of Excellence to the City of Newberry for the Oakland Mill Revitalization Project. I have championed improvement to our water plant, which will carry us for decades. I am proud of the creation of two new electric sub-stations which will provide for improved reliability of power. Working with the city’s utility department, an especially important achievement for Newberry is the citywide fiber optic network. This is quite an accomplishment for a city our size. I proudly worked on the endeavor knowing how vital having this would be for the future of Newberry’s businesses and citizens. Making the investment in this city-wide fiber optic network made Newberry the first city government owned fiber optic network in South Carolina to bring high speed internet to its town. I have been a strong advocate of the Newberry Opera House, The Newberry Art Center, and the city festivals: Oktoberfest, Pork-in-the-Park, Irish Fling, and the Taste of Newberry. All of these bring many visitors to our city, thus supporting our city businesses. Our Recreation Department holds fun events like Rec in the Park, Downtown Movie Nights, and events in our parks. The new park offers a full accessible-to-all playground, with Marion Davis Park providing activities for all, regardless of their mobility issues, with wheelchair swings. I have pushed and worked for good government and excellence in all city departments.”

Kemper: “Task management and accountability are important. I will spend time with the department heads to understand their goals, objectives, challenges and issues.

Make no mistake, though, a city councilman’s responsibility is to the citizens of their district. Accomplishing anything within the district is done through the city’s departments.”

Are there programs or policies that you feel may need to be eliminated or re-prioritized within the City? How would you work with the City Manager and Department Heads to change these programs or policies?

DuBose: “Over the years I have served on council we have eliminated or re-prioritized various positions and programs at the city. We just did a major reduction in the budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic that reduced our revenue. This took a lot of work from the city manager and department heads to find ways to reduce the budget without cutting services or jobs. This only happened because we have a very dedicated staff who understand we do not like to lay employees off and the residents of the city deserve quality service. I am sure there will be more situations like this where we will have to make hard decisions. I will always work hard to find a solution that best serves the citizens of Newberry. Although we strive to find ways to meet the needs of our citizens, two things are frequently mentioned as priorities. One is for an additional grocery store. The city is using a retail business recruiter in effort to convince a grocery chain to locate here, with no solid results. We were able to get a Starbucks and Firehouse Subs, but are still working on the grocery store. We also would love to have our city roads and streets repaved. Most of our roads are state roads, and we are on “the list” for this project. We are trying to get pushed higher up on this list, and just like other cities in South Carolina, hope our time for repaving will come soon.”

Kemper: “I have had access to some open source information up to this point. I believe that, in some cases, I need more information before I talk about specific cuts/changes/reprioritizations.

I will caveat that statement with I am a firm believer in line item budget reviews. This should be done with the department heads in attendance in a working session before the Council votes on the budget.

We need to look at the cost of overtime as a percentage of the overall personnel budget and determine if we are getting a return on investment for that cost.

We need to look at every aspect of the budget to find the fat and cut it out.

The City Manager and Department Heads are the linkage to making all of this happen. Their buy-in is important and needed for the success of any initiative.”

What makes you the most electable candidate for Newberry City Council District Six?

DuBose: “I feel that I am the best candidate for Newberry City Council District 6 for two reasons. First, when I moved from Columbia to Newberry for a job in 1971 after returning from the free vacation Uncle Sam gave me, a tour of Vietnam, the friendly folks of Newberry adopted me and became some of my best friends. I have visited every county of South Carolina, 49 of the 50 states, and 4 continents. I have seen many beautiful places, but for me, absolutely the best place of all is the City of Friendly Folks. I want to spend the rest of my days trying to pass forward all the acts of kindness shown to me by the many Newberrians I have come to know and love. The second reason is that I feel that my years of experience working to keep Newberry’s services of the highest quality, our utilities efficient and reliable, and perhaps most importantly, the safety of our residents our top priority, make me the most qualified candidate for Newberry City Council District 6. Please help me to continue making Newberry the best little city in SC.”

Kemper: “As I have said to folks as we have gone door-to-door in the District, I have skin in the game. My house is at the corner of Main and Crenshaw. My kids are in the local schools. My business is located in Newberry. If you have an issue, let’s sit down and talk.

Please get out and vote on Sept. 8^th. Thanks.”