How the mayoral candidates answered some of the other questions posed during Tuesday’s debate

QUINCY — Republican incumbent Mike Troup and independent challenger Linda Moore fielded multiple questions from panelists Mary Griffith from WTAD and Daniel Winn from WGEM, as well as from moderator Iris Nelson and the audience, during Tuesday night’s mayoral debate at First Christian Church. The League of Women Voters of Adams County served as the debate host.

The following is a synopsis of the candidates’ answers.

What department within the city needs to be looked at for potential savings?

MT: We need to take a look at every department in the city for where we can find savings in the budget process. Being a financial executive before taking this mayor position four years ago, (I) did not do budgets like they do in government — “This is what I spent this year, so I need something more next year.” We did basically a zero-based budget. We started from scratch. Each year we’re trying to do that. It’s hard to get career government employees to think that way, but I do think we need to take a look at every department to see where we can cut different dollars out.

LM: This year’s fiscal year budget had $51 million in revenue and $61 million in expenses in the general fund. That’s almost a $10 million shortfall. It’s only going to get worse, because we all know that revenues are not increasing at the rate we’d like them to increase, yet our expenses are. I do believe that what’s going on with DOGE is probably something that was needed. I probably would have used a scalpel instead of a chainsaw, but that’s OK. … Here in Quincy, the office of mayor should be the office of local government efficiency. We have great people, but our processes are broken.

Would you try and revisit the 48th Street streetscape project to rebuild that intersection and install sidewalks. Or is that a thing of the past, and the county and the city will no longer work together ever again on that project?

MT: The county is going out for bids, as we speak, to widen 48th Street, south of State Street, all the way down to the subdivision on the west side of 48th Street. The county is also looking at putting the sidewalk in now. These are all the things that our aldermen asked the county about when we were talking about the roundabout. The 14 members of our City Council ended up with a split, and it was a pretty significant divide. Half the group said, Yeah, let’s go ahead and do this. The other half (said) no, it’s a county project. The county has owned that section of the street from day one. The city of Quincy taxpayers already fund something like 60 percent of motor fuel tax that the county gets. We’re already paying for that improvement. You don’t need us to chip in another 50 percent. The math doesn’t work. … We’re also willing to take over that intersection once the improvements are made.

LM: In  2019, we did a bond issue, and a roundabout at 48^th and State was in the plan. At that point, there were conversations that the roundabout was the cheapest way to fix that intersection. Then all of a sudden last fall, the roundabout was the most expensive way to fix the intersection. There’s something that ain’t mathin’ there. How could something have gone from the least expensive to the most expensive? That intersection was under the county’s jurisdiction. Who were the ones who really wanted to see that change the most. The John Wood (Community College) students. So that intersection should be the county and John Wood doing what they need to do. Once they do everything, then for that to come back to the city, I think it’s fine.

How much government money should be used to lure businesses into our area? Is it sustainable, and if we don’t do that, will we lose the Targets and the Amazons?

LM: Over the last four years, we’ve seen a lot of good things happen, and the mayor’s office deserves a lot of credit for that, because he had a hand in that. We also had a lot of other people who contributed to that, who made it happen. … Target was a game changer, so that was definitely a positive, but we’ve also lost a lot of businesses. When Raising Canes opened, we learned that Dunnbelly’s was closing. We learned that Steak and Shake was closing. It doesn’t do us any good to open a business if one or two more close. We need to put more time, attention and money to our local businesses and growing our local businesses. … We need to look at what industries don’t we have here or what businesses don’t we have here. That’s where we should spend our incentive money, not just anybody who calls us.

MT: We’ve made a game change locally on economic development. Yes, we work with our partners — GREDF, the Chamber (of Commerce), a variety of other resources that we have available. The other thing that we had to work through (was with) some of our own local developers. Without them and putting their money in, we wouldn’t have something like half of the developments that we’ve received. I was on the GREDF board years ago when companies came to Quincy, but the administration back then didn’t want to give a penny to an out-of-town developer. If you drive on U.S. 61 and you see where General Mills and Watlow (Electric), that all was developed in Hannibal because the Quincy administration said, ‘We aren’t going to give you a penny.’ … When (a past administration) did Prairie Crossing, they gave a 25-year incentive. No matter what happens, you’re going to get 50 percent of the sales tax. We built in performance measurements. If you don’t hit a sales number above this, you’re not going to get anything.

Do you support continuation of the (1 percent local) grocery tax? 

LM: I’m not in favor of taxing anything that’s essential, and I think putting food on your table is essential. However, in light of what I anticipate could be a $10 million or $12 million revenue shortfall within the next two years, we may need every penny we can get. It’s a tax we’re already paying, so it’s not a new tax. If it goes away, there’s always the possibility that a new tax could be introduced. We know what the grocery tax is. It’s a penny on the dollar on certain items, so it’s maybe more reasonable than other options. I just think that to tax something that is as essential as putting food on the table that doesn’t feel right to me.

MT: The simple answer is yes. When I talk to taxpayers throughout the city and ask them, “How do you feel about all the taxes?” The one complaint I get religiously is, “I hate the property tax.” I said, “You know what? That’s something you and I agree on.” I don’t like my property taxes either. I’ve never heard a complaint about the food and beverage tax. I’ve never heard about the grocery tax. I’ve never heard about any other sales tax complaint from any taxpayer, any resident here in town. We lowered the property tax rate for the Quincy portion of your taxes three years ago, and we kept it down. … Under my term, we have grown (the sales tax) over 24 percent. Sales tax allows the city to keep your property taxes low, and that’s why I’m focused on extending that one-cent grocery tax.

Do you support a partisan City Council?

MT: Right now, the city is in a partisan election. What are the two parties? A Republican, which I am, and Democrat. My opponent here tonight is claiming to be an independent. Well, that’s not one of the choices, OK? The voters want a partisan (election). Our 14 aldermen are three elected office holders. They’re all partisan. So it does work. Once everybody gets in and elected, we’re all working together. You don’t have to watch too many City Council meetings to say we don’t vote partisan. … We’ve got Republicans who don’t like some of the things that the administration brings up. We’ve got Democrats who love some of the stuff we’re bringing up. Some people like to lean toward the conservatism, and some like to lean more toward the liberal. The city was established in 1840. So far, the partisan elections have worked.

LM: I absolutely support non-partisan local elections. … I’m running as an independent for a reason. I’ve always been a moderate. I think it’s a whole lot easier to reach to the right and reach to the left if you’re in the middle. If you’re on one end or the other, there’s somebody on the other end who isn’t even going to listen to you. … If you lived in the 7th Ward (in the primary) election, you had to make a choice. Did you want to vote for your alderman, or do you want to vote for a mayor? You couldn’t do both, and I don’t think that’s fair. There are three entities on our local election ballot, the park district, the school board and the city. One is partisan. Two are not. I think we should make it all three. … I can’t tell you how many people I asked to run for office last summer, and I kept getting the same answer. “I would love to run, but I don’t want to declare a party, because my clients are half Republican and half Democrat. If I run on a party (ticket), I’m going to lose half my clients, so I don’t want to run.”

After Moore’s answer, Troup said, “Moore’s talking that she’s an independent. Have you supported any Republican running for office in the last 10 years?”

“Absolutely. Nikki (Haley) was my choice (as the Republican candidate for president in the 2024,” Moore said. “I supported her right to the end, and I was so disappointed when she got out of the race.”