With less than a week to go, it’s still a wide-open race for two seats on Ripley Village Council. Linda South is running for re-election, but with Daniel Dragoo deciding not to run again, the other four candidates for council are vying for one of the two seats available.

Here’s a chance to listen to the final three candidates for village council:

Judy Brooks

“I was on council before and I didn’t get everything accomplished that I liked to, so I’d like to try again. A lot of our condemned buildings and they’re still not taken care of. I don’t know what the solution to the problem is to get the people to work with us. I think maybe with some new people council can come up with some new ideas.

I would like to see more businesses come to town, I’d like to see our water problem solved, we still have people complaining about brown water, it seems like an ongoing problem, and I want to do what I can to make it better here.

I’ve lived in Ripley my whole life, for 66 years. I’m very active in the community. I’m in the heritage committee. I get involved in anything that goes on in the village to make it better. I was a business owner here for 22 years, I don’t have any thing to be done for myself, I want to do what’s best for our town.

Bill Taylor

“My main reason for running is just my concern for the community. My wife and I have four kids we are raising in Ripley and we want to make sure its a safe community for older and younger couples alike. I want to make it a place where people want to come and raise a family.

“I don’t have an agenda, I don’t have a particular thing I want done, I just want what’s best for the people of the village of Ripley, whether that means making sure we have a good strong police presence, making sure we communicate well with the citizens here, and inviting them to our meetings so that we know what their thoughts are. Turning it into an atmosphere where people have a voice, and I don’t know if you could say that right now.

“I would hope that people who vote who know me personally know the kind of person I am, the integrity I have, and they want a fresh face and a fresh voice in office.”

Kathy Lewis

“I decided to run for Ripley Village Council in July. I ran the last election as a write-in candidate. I have lived in Ripley all my life. I have been on the Ripley Life Squad for eight years. I have had the privilege of helping people in their time of need. I would like to try and help our town with the help of the other council members to try and focus on bringing business back to our village.

“First and foremost, we need to focus on getting a grocery store back to our town so our residents don’t have to go out of town or even out of state to buy groceries. We need to work on utilizing the empty buildings by trying to fix them up to attract potential new businesses.

“I am a big supporter of our Police and Fire Department. We need to make sure they have the proper equipment to keep them save and to be able to keep the residents and their properties safe. We need to stay up on the issues that the council have been working on to make sure they are accomplished.

“I will listen to all concerns and try to act on them with the help of other council members to settle any concerns the residents have. The Ripley Village Council has to work as a team to accomplish any goals which are set forth. I would do my best to help accomplish the goals which the council has for our town.”

Candidates vie for a place on Ripley Village Council.
https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_RipleyCouncil1-DanielKarell-.jpgCandidates vie for a place on Ripley Village Council. Daniel Karell | News Democrat

Five candidates are competing for two seats on Ripley Village Council.
https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_RipleyCommunityBuilding1-DanielKarell-.jpgFive candidates are competing for two seats on Ripley Village Council. Daniel Karell | News Democrat

By Daniel Karell

dkarell@civitasmedia.com

Reach Daniel Karell at 937-378-6161. Follow him on Twitter @GNDKarell