Lakeside Park City Council

Seven candidates will vie for six open seats on the Lakeside Park City Council in November.

The city council is the city’s primary legislative body. It institutes local laws, passes a city budget and generally represents the people’s interests in the municipal government. The mayor, whose seat is not up for election in November, can veto laws passed by the council, but the council can vote to override him with a majority vote. Council positions are nonpartisan, and council members serve two-year terms.

All of the current council members are running for reelection: Tom Bernheimer, Christopher Gongola, Dennis Landwehr, Mary Ann Thaman, Brain Waite and Dave Wolfer. Cassi Schabell is the only challenger.

Only Bernheimer, Landwehr, Schabell and Waite responded to LINK nky’s inquiries.

All of the candidates touted fiscal responsibility as priority for their campaigns.

“Everyone is dedicated to moving the city forward while always keeping our finances in mind,” Bernheimer said.

Still, Schabell and Waite were critical of what they characterized as the city’s poor communication with its residents. Schabell was especially forthright in this regard.

“I chose to run for city council after noticing a pattern,” Schabell said. “Residents often feel unaware of council decisions and issues affecting other streets. When they finally become aware, they are understandably upset and express their frustrations, but no effective action is taken, leaving them feeling ignored.”

“Communication with residents is an important area that needs constant attention and can always be improved,” Waite said. “The city already tries to communicate with residents via newsletters, social media and the electronic message board at the city building, but there is always room for more engagement with residents.”

Schabell also recommended more deliberate planning and goal setting from the city government.

“I am committed to setting and achieving clear goals for our city’s future,” Schabell said. “I aim to listen to residents’ input to shape our priorities and actions. Many residents share similar ideas for improving our city, but without a clear plan, these ideas cannot become reality.”

Landwehr emphasized maintaining open lines of communication with the county and the state.

Waite said that communal recreation activities have suffered since the close of the pandemic “and since then it has been a challenge to regain the momentum.”

“We are always looking for opportunities to keep Lakeside Park a community to be proud of and where people want to live,” Bernheimer said. “We welcome input from our residents [and] look at other communities for ideas for future development.”