Mayor Zimelman running against political newcomer

Challenger has experience working in city government

QUINCY — Incumbent Mayor Dick Zimbelman's re-election bid is challenged by a veteran of city leadership with 15 years of municipal management and administrative service experience under his belt who is only new to the political side of city government.

Peter M. Smith, 63, a registered professional engineer and the public works director in both Quincy and George for separate periods over seven and a half years, said he is ready to be Quincy's mayor.

"With my experience, I feel I could hit the ground running," Smith said. This is Smith's first public campaign for office.

Zimbelman, 69, said that as the current mayor, his most effective campaign strategy between now and the November general election is to continue taking care of the city's business.

"I have lived here all my life and have the city's interests at heart," Zimbelman said. "I think we have a good city and I want to continue in that direction."

Zimbelman believes that it takes a long time to learn how to operate effectively as mayor and the eight years of experience he has will put him in a good position to continue guiding the city in the right direction.

Smith said he is challenging the incumbent because several people approached him and asked if he would run based on his background and experience. He said that he also had a desire to give back to the city, which has been good to him since he first began living there almost 25 years ago.

The Grant County Economic Development Council is a group Smith said he would like to work more closely with to attract businesses to Quincy. Smith said that the potential exists for Quincy to become a hub of industrial and tourist activity and he would like to re-energize efforts to make that happen with help from the county's economic development boosters.

"I think we can do a better job of marketing the city," Smith said.

But marketing the city is also a key plank in Zimbelman's platform for re-election.

"We're not harvesting our best crop here and that's recreation and tourism," Zimbelman said.

Focusing on the Port of Quincy's inland intermodal industrial park to bring more business to Quincy is also high on the mayor's list of priorities. He plans to devote more of his time to those goals now that he is retiring at the end of the year from his truck garden operation where he sells pumpkins, melons and sweet corn.

Smith is currently retired himself, but is a contract operator and consultant for water systems in the area.

Both candidates agree that city staff and the current city council are doing their respective jobs well. They said that administering the city's budget has been difficult and will be a challenge in the future as they work to maintain services that residents depend upon such a streets, parks, police and fire protection.

Zimbelman said that he is against raising taxes and that the city will have to work within its current budget and operate on what is already flowing into its coffers.

Conversely, Smith said that it is important enough to maintain services that he would consider raising taxes if necessary, but he would have to see the 2006 budget before making any commitments.

Both candidates agree that Quincy has seen an increase in crime in recent years, but they suggested that they might take different approaches in combating it.

"We're going through a troubled time right now," Zimbelman said.

The mayor said that the city can't afford to pay for more police officers right now and that residents would have to be educated about the different ways they can protect themselves.

Smith said that a likely increase in gang activity has led to more violence and the influence of drugs in Quincy has probably led to more property crime. If elected, he said he would want to first sit down with the chief of police and see what is currently being done about the increase in crime and strive to work together from that point on.