Three four-year terms on the Warren City Council are up for election next Tuesday.

A total of five candidates are vying for those three spots — Democrats Kimberly Exley and Douglas Hearn as well as Republicans Wendy McCain, Joe Michaels and Jared Villella.

Voters will be able to select up to three candidates.

A separate story will publish in the coming days on a fourth seat

The next council will step into the throes of an EMS crisis, have to chart a path for the future of the riverfront — and the city, more generally — and address a host of other issues including what to do with the city’s American Rescue Plan funds and the future of Washington Park.

Much progress has been made along Warren’s riverfront in recent years. With the city owning many vacant parcels in the area, what should happen next?

“Warren overall is a beautiful area,” Exley, the county’s HR administrator, said. “I believe the City should welcome those who are willing to put forth the time and effort necessary for development of” the riverfront. “We need to capitalize on the location of the riverfront by holding festivals and other public venues to increase foot traffic and visibility of downtown.”

“The Trestle to Trestle project is a great idea that has collaborated with stakeholders, businesses, residents and government on opportunities for the city,” Hearn, an incumbent and career retail executive said. The collaborative approach to the Trestle to Trestle project has been one of the greatest results so far.”

Hearn spoke favorably about the prospects for a comprehensive plan and the city’s parcels along the riverfront be “used in ways to fulfill a broader economic agenda as well as enhancements for all residents to enjoy.” He said a “hotel or other accommodations are needed to handle the peak demand times.”

He also supports festivals and celebrations in that area as well as proposals for a boat launch.

“Our waterfront is key to re-energizing our downtown,” McCain said. “In my opinion, it is the jewel which we could rely on to plan our major revitalization around this piece of property.”

In addition to Trestle to Trestle, she said the city needs “to tap experts in Urban Planning, also use expertise of Pennsylvania Downtown Center, as for this piece of property, this valuable and important to our community, we need to find a way to get input directly from all available resources before going to the taxpayers for a buy in.”

Villella called Trestle to Trestle a “good start for brainstorming and facilitating dialogue.”

“We’re further ahead of where we were a year ago, and that is the first win of hopefully many,” he added. “While I understand the opportunities in the defined area, I would like to see more discussion around improvement and development outside those boundaries as well. We need to be bringing the multiple areas of the entire city together to work with singular focus on more than just a downtown plan.”

Michaels said the Trestle to Trestle group has “been instrumental in driving the boat launch project forward, which will be helpful for developing the downtown economy and serving the local population.

“I think similar task forces to mobilize and develop other areas of the city are a good idea if they are as successful as Trestle to Trestle in galvanizing city government.”

The city is to receive $900,000 as a part of the American Rescue Plan and Michaels said it would be “prudent to set aside some” of the funding “towards a reserve fund,” in light of council’s tax increase for 2021. “This way large city assets can be replaced without burdening city taxpayers with further increases.”

“I am fairly positive there is a stipulation that the money cannot be used for paving, which is a shame because many of our city streets are in dire need of attention, and also we are not permitted to implement tax cuts if we take the money,” Villella said.

“I would propose,” he added, that “the city utilize ARP funds to cover all applicable and approved line items in our operating budget, move 70-80% of those original budgeted dollars to the General Fund to carry over for large projects in the upcoming years and use the rest to start the ‘rainy day\’ contingency fund.

“We have to be smarter about safeguarding our financial future and being prepared for the unexpected.”

McCain said areas of focus should center on items to improve health, safety and revive the economy.

“There is a need to attract and retain workers, particularly first responders such as police, fire and healthcare,” she said. “Businesses that were greatly impacted by Covid, should also be assisted. We should then use any additional money to help our taxpayer supported projects.”

“I would first look at shovel ready projects that Warren has planned and prioritize those projects to use the nearly $900,000,” Hearn said. “We need to strategize and arrive at a plan that also combine(s) additional grants to the $900,000 to increase the amount to spend on projects that are needed for economic recovery.”

He said investing the funds on riverfront development “would bring economic growth to our area.”

Exley would like to see the funds used to “assist business owners with the upkeep and revitalizations of its downtown businesses. We also need to focus on upgrading the broadband in our area. In order to attract new businesses, we must have the necessary technology to support them.”

The Parks & Recreation Commission continues to grapple with what to do with Washington Park but that buck doesn’t stop with the commission — it stops with Warren County Council. It’s likely that the commission will make a recommendation to council and then the hot potato will be in council’s hands.

The feedback from these candidates was measured and largely in favor of only moderate improvements to the park.

“We need to continue to obtain community feedback and agree to the objective,” McCain said. “It is important that whatever we determine to do, does not result in a tax burden to our residents…. This is possibly the last chunk of natural beauty left in Warren and we have to be careful what we plan for as we develop its use.?

“Any plans for development should only move forward once there are clear answers about safety, liability and the full environmental impact,” Villella said. “With the current information and unanswered questions, I would agree to only mild development to make Washington Park a safer outdoor area for citizens, while preserving the natural forest habitat.

“However, I feel there are more important issues in the city needing addressed that would have a positive impact on a higher percentage of city residents over the development of Washington Park — EMS, road repairs, maintenance and upgrades to existing parks to name a few.”

Hearn supports the most conservative option of potential improvements. ”

“This park needs to be gated outside of regular hours,” he said. “We need to be aware of the neighbors and land owners in the area around Washington Park. City residents and landowners in the area of Washington Park, and the Parks and Recreation Authority need to work collaboratively to come to an agreement.”

He called for increased police patrols to the area as well as the value of having “good eyes” at the park. “I call for a larger group of stake holders including developers to be involved in future discussions,” he said.

“I do feel this area could use some modest upgrades to increase the security of the area,” Exley added.

Michaels said there is “value” in additional biking and walking trails in such a “close enough proximity that the average teenager can access them independently.

“Any plan to develop Washington Park must address the criminal activities and vandalism currently occuring after hours, improve accessibility to the park from the city, and maintain the natural beauty of the overlook itself. My support of this project will depend upon how it addresses these concerns, as well as the total cost to the taxpayer.”

Council will be tasked, perhaps most importantly, with assisting in charting a path for the future of our community that in many ways will exceed their term length. What do these candidates expect that future to look like and what steps do they propose to make it happen?

The first thing would be one of the main pillars of my campaign — a full review of our codes and ordinances to remove burden from citizens and businesses wherever safely applicable,” Villella said. “We need to make it easier for businesses to open and operate in the city, and make private development projects a more attractive proposition. We should also make it less of a hassle for property owners to maintain and improve their properties.”

He also stressed the importance of preparing for the city’s financial future.

“We are not guaranteed an exact amount of grant money every year, and state and federal funding amounts levels will likely begin to become less certain moving forward,” he said. “I feel like we can be better about our spending, and putting money away for a rainy day, while not additionally burdening the declining tax base. The creation of a city contingency fund would be a smart investment in the future, and I believe we have the opportunity to get this started with American Rescue Plan dollars coming our way.”

Villella also discussed the importance of promoting the city and what it has to offer.

“Looking forward, we need to find opportunities to bring large, flagship events back to the city to draw people in,” he said. “The city should be partnering with the county and non-government organizations focused on city improvement to build and execute a plan for marketing the entirety of the City of Warren. We need our existing businesses to thrive in order to attract new businesses and private development.” Another element of that discussion is engaging citizens and he wants to see that happen more regularly outside of the monthly meeting.

“We need more individuals from across the city to be involved at the beginning of conversations, not the end,” he said. “Knocking on doors all year has made it clear that a good percentage of citizens need to feel more like their voice is being heard.”

“I believe our most critical long term challenge is the steady decline in family supporting jobs in Warren,” Michaels said. “I will support existing businesses and promote new economic development. By strategically reducing codes, ordinances, taxes and fees, it will be easier to start and expand businesses, and improve homes and properties.”

McCain highlighted many community strengths including quality of life, low crime, quiet neighborhoods among others.

“Our focus should also be on growth of small business and our support to them as they grow and serve the community,” she said. She also spoke about attempting to attract potential employees who can now work from home and live elsewhere.

“There has to be a willingness on part of council to make stuff happen and not get bogged down in excuses to not act,” she continued. “Case in point is the matter of outdoor tables and chairs earlier this year. If it was not possible to use City funds and it was agreed by all parties that new the tables and chairs would help businesses, then alternate funding sources including private funding should have been pursued to just get this done. But our council froze, did nothing and this was a loss to the merchants and the community.”

“Listening to our younger residents is extremely important,” Exley said. “They will be the ones hopefully staying in the area and raising families. I feel the key will be developing our area and finding businesses who can come to the area and offer residents gainful wages.”

Hearn highlighted the EMS crisis as an issue that is “hanging over our city and region” and spoke on the importance of collaboration among communities “to assure city residents have the services they expect from their tax dollars, while our neighbors in surrounding communities share their fair share of the expenses.”

He also said the city “needs to consider the impact that taxes, disguised as fees have on the small business community and residents.”

“As the area continues to mature, we as a community need to be open and committed to keeping the area open, accessible and convenient to all, while being a pleasant and inviting area to visit. I continue to be passionate about the infrastructure of our town…. Thoughtfully and consistently funding the infrastructure through grants and our tax base need to be continued.

Infrastructure for him also means broadband.

“I envision a town that has affordable, reliable Broadband Internet for business, families and schools to use,” he said.