Kespohl with family

This blessed weekend marks a sacred time of prayer and reflection for many in our community. I hope this Easter weekend finds you with family and friends, affirmed by your faith tradition. I ask God’s blessings for you and yours at this special time. In my own faith tradition, Easter provides an inspiring message of renewal and rebirth. May it be a time of rejuvenation and reflection for you, as well.

There is also a message of renewal in one of our great American traditions that many of us will observe this coming Tuesday. That is the opportunity to achieve the highest act of citizenship – casting our votes. Election Day renews our faith in democracy, because everyone’s vote counts.

Please take time to make your voice heard on Tuesday. Voting is an American tradition most worthy of upholding, and it is among the foremost of common-sense values.

I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday for Ward 3 City Council. Thank you for your consideration, and for your participation.

Kespohl with grandkids

We need to send a clear message: Columbia is Open For Business. I supported three job-creating projects my opponent voted to kill: Landmark Hospital, with 100 jobs; Cross Creek, bringing hundreds of jobs; and fixing dangerous, time-killing traffic backups on Lemone Industrial Boulevard to make its shovel-ready sites more attractive for business growth. I have been a small business owner in Columbia for more than 30 years. I know what it means to balance a budget, meet a payroll and satisfy customers with excellent service while maintaining a commitment to the community’s betterment. This is the practical experience I will bring to our City Council.

Kudos to the men and women on the front lines of public safety in our community for endorsing downtown safety cameras. I support these safety cameras and I support the proposition on the April 6 ballot. My opponent not only voted against the safety cameras, he turned down a business group’s offer to pay for half of the cost and save taxpayers some money. There’s a clear difference in the Ward 3 race for City Council.

Police and Firefighters endorse camera idea

Thanks to the Columbia Daily Tribune and reporter Daniel Cailler for setting the record straight regarding a previous article about my views on growing Columbia’s economy and creating jobs. We need jobs and new prosperity in Columbia, and I will bring a small business owner’s perspective to the City Council. I have balanced budgets, met payrolls and kept customers satisfied. My opponent has repeatedly voted against job-creating projects. The choice is clear: Gary Kespohl for Ward 3 City Council.

Tribune Article by Daniel Cailler

We must keep our families and our neighbors safe from crime. I firmly support downtown safety cameras; my opponent voted against them. I say we need more officers on the street; my opponent voted to spend public resources to hire a city Sustainability Director and to earmark $100,000 for his special little projects. While my opponent was voting for city chicken coops and more bike-lane extravagance, there were almost 3,000 police calls to Ward 3’s Whitegate area alone since January 1, 2009. When it comes to keeping our neighborhoods safe, I stand with our cops in crime fighting.

What do you think would make Columbia a safer community?

The Tribune recently published an article that discussed how candidates for Columbia, MO’s mayor and city council elections plan to use Twitter and other social media in their campaign. I will be using blogs, Twitter and Facebook in my campaign for a few reasons.

The internet allows representatives to communicate with citizens in a way that has never been possible. While I will be going door to door, making myself available during the day to meet with people personally, and other traditional campaign techniques; social media and the internet allow me to be available to anyone, anywhere, at any time. I am using these tools to open myself up and be as available as possible for anyone that has a question, comment, concern about Columbia, or just wants to hear what I have to say.

Using social media will also allow me to engage with all of Columbia. Traditonally, because of time limitations, candidates focus all of their attention on the ward that can vote for them. I am personally engaging with the 3rd ward, but a council person represents all of Columbia. Even if someone can’t vote for a candidate the city council makes decisions that affect every Columbia citizen. Therefore I feel it is important to listen to the entire community as well as my ward. Twitter, Facebook and my blog will help me hear what everyone in Columbia is saying, not just a select few.

I have never used any of these tools prior to my campaign but I recognize how many people have a desire to communicate this way. It takes time to learn and perfect these new ways to communicate so I appreciate any advice or feedback on how I’m doing. Representing a community means having a willingness to listen to others, learn new things and adapt to new ways of doing things, even if it involves time. I have time to listen, I have time to learn, I have time for Columbia.