A Southwestern College student is making a second try at winning a seat on the Winfield City Council.
Taggart Wall, who will be 20 in January, was defeated in his first effort two years ago. He finished third in a five-man race.
Two of the three present members of the council – Tom McNeish and Michael Ledy -? face expiring terms. Wall is the only one who has filed for election, according to the Winfield City Clerk’s office.
The filing deadline is noon, Jan. 27. A primary, if necessary, will be held March 3. The general election for both city and school board races will be April 7.
"The city commission is a place of public servant hood, a place for vision and determination,"? Wall said. "Through this commission’s leadership can come a prosperous future of life for our citizens and neighbors.
"In it are centered the challenges of meeting local basic needs and the will to encourage the establishment of a regional mindset and value," he said.
Wall is a sophomore double-majoring in Philosophy/Religion and History. He is employed by Big Brother and Sisters as a development intern, is a student pastor intern at Grace United Methodist Church and is a conduct advisor for student life at Southwestern.
Wall said that by serving on the commission?his vision for the community – based on growth and stability – can take effect sooner rather than later, and strategically within the next few years.
Winfield faces many challenges in the future, and needs a new leader that believes in a vision for each student, adult and business owner, and one who believes in himself and the integrity of local government, he said.
Local government leaders should listen and be responsive to the needs of all of its residents and business owners by being in conversation with them and being openly transparent, he said.
Local government should also provide its employees and citizens with the best possible working environment to provide every opportunity to be the best that they can, according to Wall.
‘I have taken the time to seek out and reflect on the comments of people when it comes to the direction of our city," he said. "As I have said before and I say again today, the time is now for us to embrace new leadership for Winfield to seek our potential and restore our community spirit to its full strength. This comes with new ideas and reaching out to the individual voice, because after all this is a city full of people. None of us stand alone."
The loss in 2007 implied Wall did not have the experience to lead, he said. He accepted the decision, the challenge, and the promise to better himself and run again.
"Since then, I have taken significant steps to prepare myself for leadership positioning in the future," he said.
