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Kyle Wilson, a member of the Hannibal City Council for the past two decades, is running for what he says will be his final term.
“This is it,” said the 57-year-old Wilson, who represents the city’s Third Ward.
A recent battle with cancer had Wilson at one point thinking about his future in terms of days and weeks, rather than in regard to seeking another three-year term.
“I wasn’t supposed to make it at Christmas, but I’ve made it and beyond. My tumors have quit growing right now and I feel pretty good. I’ve felt good for the past few months,” he said. “I’d like to be elected to one more term. I enjoy contributing to the running of city government.”
With last year’s death of Jim Dexheimer, Wilson has become the council’s elder statesman in terms of longevity. He calls that experience “immeasurable.”
“People say, ‘They’ve been there too long.’ I kind of disagree on that. It’s hard to get good experience on that (council) because it is an elected position,” said Wilson.
Street work is priority for Wilson.
“You have to keep up, regardless of what anybody says,” he said.
One of Wilson’s biggest concerns in regard to the city is its expanding staff.
“I can remember when they didn’t want to hire anybody because they couldn’t afford it. Now I see them hiring people and it’s to the benefit of the city. The problem is sometimes it makes me wonder if they’re considering the cost, if it’s cost-effective or not. So far it’s proven to be that way. I’m a little conservative about that,” he said.
Like in other communities, employment is of keen interest to Wilson. In regard to the recent economic downtown, views the “glass” as being half full.
“We’ve had some factory closings that have cost people their jobs and people are still struggling. Luckily we’ve got some good places in Hannibal to work. General Mills is a great positive and we’ve got smaller industries than them that employ people,” he said. “We’ve got a good work force and now we’ve got an available work force after a lot of these closings. It’s bad because these businesses closed, but it’s good because now you’ve got more people that are qualified that are available.”
Why should voters re-elect Wilson on April 7?
“The only thing I can say is experience,” he said. “I’m not any better than anybody else, but I’ve got a reputation for being fair and that makes me feel good, because I’ve always tried to be fair. One thing I can’t stand is somebody coming up and saying we need to do this for this reason and that reason, and then to come to find out they’re doing it for personal reasons. That’s happened quite a bit in the past couple of years.”
Kyle Wilson, a member of the Hannibal City Council for the past two decades, is running for what he says will be his final term.
“This is it,” said the 57-year-old Wilson, who represents the city’s Third Ward.
A recent battle with cancer had Wilson at one point thinking about his future in terms of days and weeks, rather than in regard to seeking another three-year term.
“I wasn’t supposed to make it at Christmas, but I’ve made it and beyond. My tumors have quit growing right now and I feel pretty good. I’ve felt good for the past few months,” he said. “I’d like to be elected to one more term. I enjoy contributing to the running of city government.”
With last year’s death of Jim Dexheimer, Wilson has become the council’s elder statesman in terms of longevity. He calls that experience “immeasurable.”
“People say, ‘They’ve been there too long.’ I kind of disagree on that. It’s hard to get good experience on that (council) because it is an elected position,” said Wilson.
Street work is priority for Wilson.
“You have to keep up, regardless of what anybody says,” he said.
One of Wilson’s biggest concerns in regard to the city is its expanding staff.
“I can remember when they didn’t want to hire anybody because they couldn’t afford it. Now I see them hiring people and it’s to the benefit of the city. The problem is sometimes it makes me wonder if they’re considering the cost, if it’s cost-effective or not. So far it’s proven to be that way. I’m a little conservative about that,” he said.
Like in other communities, employment is of keen interest to Wilson. In regard to the recent economic downtown, views the “glass” as being half full.
“We’ve had some factory closings that have cost people their jobs and people are still struggling. Luckily we’ve got some good places in Hannibal to work. General Mills is a great positive and we’ve got smaller industries than them that employ people,” he said. “We’ve got a good work force and now we’ve got an available work force after a lot of these closings. It’s bad because these businesses closed, but it’s good because now you’ve got more people that are qualified that are available.”
Why should voters re-elect Wilson on April 7?
“The only thing I can say is experience,” he said. “I’m not any better than anybody else, but I’ve got a reputation for being fair and that makes me feel good, because I’ve always tried to be fair. One thing I can’t stand is somebody coming up and saying we need to do this for this reason and that reason, and then to come to find out they’re doing it for personal reasons. That’s happened quite a bit in the past couple of years.”
