Greg Waite is an incumbent candidate for the Independence City Council. There are eight candidates running for six spots on the council.
Waite is a Navy veteran and retired firefighter who spent 22 years working for the Independence Fire District and more years at other departments. He’s lived in Independence since 1989, has served multiple terms on the city council and is active in other aspects of public life.
“I’ve been in public service my entire adult life,” said Waite.
Waite said he was running for reelection to “keep lowering taxes as much as possible,” to “ensure our road funds are kept up to provide better streets and sidewalks,” and to “limit and control growth.
“Council only sees projects that need a zone change or a variance on some occasion,” Waite added. “We need to control what we can.”
Waite elaborated on his concern for road infrastructure, stating that it’s always been his goal to have at least a million dollars in public money set aside for road repair and upkeep.
“I think we need to take a hard look at traffic and the patterns that cause concern,” Waite said. “536 should be completed next spring [or] summer and that should give a clearer look at on where congestion is occurring.”