Gerard Keiser for Saint Marys City Commission

Positions

Pedestrian Safety

We need many more sidewalks. I believe our long-term goal should be a built environment in which residents can walk safely to any store, church, or school in town.

Utilities

Despite the city’s impressive work maintaining our existing utilities infrastructure, much of it is just worn out, and the cost of replacing it keeps going up. In particular, the sewer treatment plant will need to be replaced soon. Utility rates will unfortunately have to increase. I would therefore be very reluctant to support raising tax rates for any new, non-vital projects.

Recreational Facilities

Existing facilities should be kept up; it would be a false economy to neglect maintenance. But given the burdens residents will soon have take on to replace utilities infrastructure, I would like to see at at least ten percent of funds needed for major upgrades and new projects coming from private donations. This would encourage an efficient allocation of tax dollars.

Library

The Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library provides a valuable service at nearly zero cost to city residents, given the rents currently paid to the city for the building. Unless residents choose to pay for an independent city library, I support continuing to provide appropriate facilities for their main branch at a fair price, at the current level of political compromise.

Streets

The city crews have been doing an excellent job of repairing streets on a tight budget. With that said, I would like to explore economical alternatives to the current resurfacing techniques.

Golf course

Taxpayers should not take on any financial risk to restart the golf course. I support continuing its current unofficial use a nature preserve until a company is willing to take on a lease as-is, the legal entanglements can be resolved, or another affordable use can be agreed upon.

Housing

We need more houses. We not only find an unusual number of people from around the world moving to this small town in Kansas, we also have some of the highest birthrates in the country. I am in favor of reducing regulations on redevelopments that promise to make the city more pleasant and affordable for young families.

About

I grew up in north Louisiana, earned an undergraduate degree at University of Oklahoma, and lived for several years in central Minnesota, teaching high school and later working as an office manager for a small residential contractor. There I married Marie Melechinsky, a Saint Marys native. In 2023 we moved to Saint Marys for work, to give our children the benefits of living in this unique community, and to be nearer her family. I currently work as a software engineer at the Onyx Collection.