Bronwyn Page the Director of Operations for the Reno County Museum stopped by to visit about their upcoming fundraiser on Nov. 15.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762447581554.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Bronwyn Page - Reno County Museum" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=dn273-19b5f29-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Bronwyn Page the Director of Operations for the Reno County Museum stopped by to visit about their upcoming fundraiser on Nov. 15.&nbsp;

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Bronwyn Page, Reno County Museum 

Kris Anshutz of Stage 9 visits with us about "Salute the Troops'.&nbsp; Performances this Saturday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615226095627.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Kris Anshutz of Stage 9 visits with us about "Salute the Troops'.&nbsp; Performances this Saturday.<div><iframe title="Kris Anshutz - Stage 9 Salute to the Troops" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=5pa6i-19b5d79-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Kris Anshutz, Stage 9

🎧🏀 HutchCC, WSU and K-State men all win; 🏈🏀 Blue Dragons earn KJCCC weekly honors

🎧Parson & Pope w/Dr. Nuest

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762204964462.jpeg" alt="Photo Courtesy Nick Fisher" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Nick Fisher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Nick Fisher - The Christmas Castle" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=jc7e5-19b250f-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Nick Fisher, The Christmas Castle

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: John Miller, Honor Our Veterans Fundraiser

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762181559391.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Salvation Army" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Salvation Army</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Major Paul James - Hutchinson Salvation Army" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=ybr3t-19b0ac5-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Major Paul James, Hutchinson Salvation Army

🎧🏈 KU wins, Chiefs and K-State lose; 🏈 HutchCC wins another Top 10 showdown

🎧🏈 Under the Helmet with HutchCC OL Rashad Smith

Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Carlton Duke" Devaul. Devaul is running for the at-large position on the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We finish our interviews with the city council candidates. With Carlton Devaul, good afternoon. Good morning.&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;Yes, good morning to you &nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;You’re running for the at large position. Tell everybody a little bit about yourself.&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I've been here for 50 years. I came here in 76 from upstate New York, the Finger Lakes region, to be more exact, and I worked for a while. I just worked whatever job I get. And I got a job at Consolidated, and worked there for 25 years. I got out before it closed, and I went to Lowe's, and then I went on to the high school as head custodian, and now I'm retired, and I just woke up one morning and thought, well, it'd be fun to run for city council. It didn't actually happen that way, but it sounds like a good story, but it not much thought went into it. I just was impulsive and did it.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We'll get things started off here, talking a little bit about growth and economic development. How should the city balance attracting new industries, say, like renewable energy or other manufacturing agencies, while also supporting the local small businesses and the downtown revitalization.&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I think we need to do a better job at selling our city. And I don't know what the city council is doing right now. I'm not privity of that, and a lot of that is, you're under a you cannot speak about it, or they'll just pull out and but we have highways going through here, and yes, it's not like McPherson or Salina, but we got highways, we got rail service, and we have a small airport here, which really is beneficial to us. And we just need to go out there maybe reevaluate how we approach different biz businesses, I think to get more business in here, we need to get some stores going. If a young family moves, moves to Hutch, or we're planning on to move and they look around at the shopping, the wife would be the one to look around for the shopping and schools and shopping after Kohl's and Walmart is almost nonexistent. And people say, well, Wichita is only 35 miles away. It's still 35 miles away and but yeah, and the second part of that question was supporting small local businesses? Oh, yeah, I think downtown is thriving. I don't eat it restaurants unless they're locally owned. I mean, I have my favorites, but it's one of these things that I'm a firm, firm believer, and you get a lot better food by going to a local and supporting your locals. If you walk into a shop in downtown, the shops I've been into people are more than&nbsp;friendly. They come out and ask you what you're looking for and what you need. So yes, downtown is thriving. Third Thursday's helps out get people down there to look, look around, see what we have.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one kind of goes hand in hand with economic development, because if you're attracting businesses, the people have to have a place to stay. So, what specific steps would you like to address to help Hutchinson's housing shortage, particularly affordable housing and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and say, nonprofits, to achieve the goal of getting that housing.&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I'm a big proponent of tiny house houses. You drive around the city, and I don't know what lots the city actually owns or what they own, but we could be putting up house housing like that, and people are not starting families young like our generation did, and they need an affordable place to live, and they don't want a big space because they're never at home. Anyways. So. They just want a space, and it would be a good thing for even a working-class man just starting out, it's a small investment. I think the housing for middle income is it goes from $100,000 house houses to and it jumps up to $250 and $300,000 homes. And we need to maybe look at something in between. But new housing costs a lot of money to build. It really does. I don't know what we can do to help the contractors. They've done quite a bit for Jim Strawn up on 43rd Street and Plum area. But we do have another big proponent of mine is I want to see people being able to stay in their homes. And we have places that come in, like interfaith housing, few other places that want to help people out and keep them in their homes. And I think it's very important to do that. It's easier to do that than to put somebody in a nursing home, and it just puts a bigger burden on the whole thing. So we need to really look at things like that. All right, we&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Duke Hutchinson faces a lot of aging infrastructure, and with the limited budgets, how do you prior prioritize spending on roads and public water systems and public safety and other core services? &nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I was at the last city council meeting and I'm glad they brought this up, because I have ammunition to talk about. But they showed us pipes from the water lines and wastewater things like that. And we have water lines on the south end of town that are 110 years old. I think that's the number they gave out. It was like the 1800s when they were put in. So yes, and they're working on that, and I think that's going to be, I think they have a three-year plan set up for that, and it's something that we are going to have to be patient, because they will be tearing up streets and redoing that. And as far as streets and roads, it is a problem. My big thing is potholes, and the side streets are all pretty good shape. Yes, we still have some brick roads here in town, and I think we may even have a couple dirt streets yet, I'm not sure, but, and then again, that's also on that was brought up, and that's on an eight-year rotation. I believe the city has that on first streets, but if you have an issue, you can call up and get a fix. It's all about getting involved with people that do the work and as far as police, firemen, EMS services like that, yes, we need them. We need them, people that come out at night for a broken water main. And so we need to support those people. All right, so&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This seems to have been a little bit of a sticking point from and everybody has commented on this. What should, what role should the city play in maintaining in like parks and public spaces, and how could Hutchinson make these and then these items better accessible for Hutchinson residents.&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;The city, to me, is a vibrant community. We have, we have like Hutch rec does a fantastic job at running a lot of events. City. And does their share. We have great venues at the fox and convention hall. I think we need to utilize them more. I believe they're looking for somebody to manage the memorial hall to help get events in here. We just need to fill these spaces more. And we even have bit bigger venues in that, like we have the sports arena, we could have a pretty nice concert up there, a big one, and maybe attract something, you know, just any little thing, and I think the arts are flourishing in this town, and the city does need to support the arts. And I think the arts support themselves too, and a lot of these places do, and we've had things going on right now with parks and trails, they are wanting to do improvements there.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, sir, we’ve got about a minute left. Is there anything that you want to add to what you have said today?&nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;Well, first, I like to see more people involved in city, in the city biz, business itself, and attend city council meetings, talk to your representatives, get out and vote. The projection I heard yesterday was a figure, 17-percent of the registered voters will vote. And we have City Council. We also have school board, and most important, the big issue this year is the school bond issue. So I would have hoped we would have had more than 17% out. And I would love to see all the different entities in Hutchinson all try to get along and share their spaces and cooperate, instead of everybody wanting to be the chief. And we just need to all get along.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right. We have been talking with Duke Devaul this morning, he is running for the at large position. Thank you for coming in, sir. &nbsp;

Carlton "Duke" Devaul: Oh, you're welcome.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747092483078.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Carlton Duke" Devaul. Devaul is running for the at-large position on the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We finish our interviews with the city council candidates. With Carlton Devaul, good afternoon. Good morning.&nbsp; Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;Yes, good morning to you &nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;You’re running for the at large position. Tell everybody a little bit about yourself.&nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I've been here for 50 years. I came here in 76 from upstate New York, the Finger Lakes region, to be more exact, and I worked for a while. I just worked whatever job I get. And I got a job at Consolidated, and worked there for 25 years. I got out before it closed, and I went to Lowe's, and then I went on to the high school as head custodian, and now I'm retired, and I just woke up one morning and thought, well, it'd be fun to run for city council. It didn't actually happen that way, but it sounds like a good story, but it not much thought went into it. I just was impulsive and did it.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We'll get things started off here, talking a little bit about growth and economic development. How should the city balance attracting new industries, say, like renewable energy or other manufacturing agencies, while also supporting the local small businesses and the downtown revitalization.&nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I think we need to do a better job at selling our city. And I don't know what the city council is doing right now. I'm not privity of that, and a lot of that is, you're under a you cannot speak about it, or they'll just pull out and but we have highways going through here, and yes, it's not like McPherson or Salina, but we got highways, we got rail service, and we have a small airport here, which really is beneficial to us. And we just need to go out there maybe reevaluate how we approach different biz businesses, I think to get more business in here, we need to get some stores going. If a young family moves, moves to Hutch, or we're planning on to move and they look around at the shopping, the wife would be the one to look around for the shopping and schools and shopping after Kohl's and Walmart is almost nonexistent. And people say, well, Wichita is only 35 miles away. It's still 35 miles away and but yeah, and the second part of that question was supporting small local businesses? Oh, yeah, I think downtown is thriving. I don't eat it restaurants unless they're locally owned. I mean, I have my favorites, but it's one of these things that I'm a firm, firm believer, and you get a lot better food by going to a local and supporting your locals. If you walk into a shop in downtown, the shops I've been into people are more than&nbsp;friendly. They come out and ask you what you're looking for and what you need. So yes, downtown is thriving. Third Thursday's helps out get people down there to look, look around, see what we have.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761923258987.jpeg" alt="Carlton "Duke" Devaul" />
 <figcaption>Carlton "Duke" Devaul</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Carlton &quot;Duke&quot; Devaul - At Large, Hutchinson City Council" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=2sryc-19ad280-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one kind of goes hand in hand with economic development, because if you're attracting businesses, the people have to have a place to stay. So, what specific steps would you like to address to help Hutchinson's housing shortage, particularly affordable housing and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and say, nonprofits, to achieve the goal of getting that housing.&nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I'm a big proponent of tiny house houses. You drive around the city, and I don't know what lots the city actually owns or what they own, but we could be putting up house housing like that, and people are not starting families young like our generation did, and they need an affordable place to live, and they don't want a big space because they're never at home. Anyways. So. They just want a space, and it would be a good thing for even a working-class man just starting out, it's a small investment. I think the housing for middle income is it goes from $100,000 house houses to and it jumps up to $250 and $300,000 homes. And we need to maybe look at something in between. But new housing costs a lot of money to build. It really does. I don't know what we can do to help the contractors. They've done quite a bit for Jim Strawn up on 43rd Street and Plum area. But we do have another big proponent of mine is I want to see people being able to stay in their homes. And we have places that come in, like interfaith housing, few other places that want to help people out and keep them in their homes. And I think it's very important to do that. It's easier to do that than to put somebody in a nursing home, and it just puts a bigger burden on the whole thing. So we need to really look at things like that. All right, we&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Duke Hutchinson faces a lot of aging infrastructure, and with the limited budgets, how do you prior prioritize spending on roads and public water systems and public safety and other core services? &nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;I was at the last city council meeting and I'm glad they brought this up, because I have ammunition to talk about. But they showed us pipes from the water lines and wastewater things like that. And we have water lines on the south end of town that are 110 years old. I think that's the number they gave out. It was like the 1800s when they were put in. So yes, and they're working on that, and I think that's going to be, I think they have a three-year plan set up for that, and it's something that we are going to have to be patient, because they will be tearing up streets and redoing that. And as far as streets and roads, it is a problem. My big thing is potholes, and the side streets are all pretty good shape. Yes, we still have some brick roads here in town, and I think we may even have a couple dirt streets yet, I'm not sure, but, and then again, that's also on that was brought up, and that's on an eight-year rotation. I believe the city has that on first streets, but if you have an issue, you can call up and get a fix. It's all about getting involved with people that do the work and as far as police, firemen, EMS services like that, yes, we need them. We need them, people that come out at night for a broken water main. And so we need to support those people. All right, so&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This seems to have been a little bit of a sticking point from and everybody has commented on this. What should, what role should the city play in maintaining in like parks and public spaces, and how could Hutchinson make these and then these items better accessible for Hutchinson residents.&nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;The city, to me, is a vibrant community. We have, we have like Hutch rec does a fantastic job at running a lot of events. City. And does their share. We have great venues at the fox and convention hall. I think we need to utilize them more. I believe they're looking for somebody to manage the memorial hall to help get events in here. We just need to fill these spaces more. And we even have bit bigger venues in that, like we have the sports arena, we could have a pretty nice concert up there, a big one, and maybe attract something, you know, just any little thing, and I think the arts are flourishing in this town, and the city does need to support the arts. And I think the arts support themselves too, and a lot of these places do, and we've had things going on right now with parks and trails, they are wanting to do improvements there.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, sir, we’ve got about a minute left. Is there anything that you want to add to what you have said today?&nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul:&nbsp;Well, first, I like to see more people involved in city, in the city biz, business itself, and attend city council meetings, talk to your representatives, get out and vote. The projection I heard yesterday was a figure, 17-percent of the registered voters will vote. And we have City Council. We also have school board, and most important, the big issue this year is the school bond issue. So I would have hoped we would have had more than 17% out. And I would love to see all the different entities in Hutchinson all try to get along and share their spaces and cooperate, instead of everybody wanting to be the chief. And we just need to all get along.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right. We have been talking with Duke Devaul this morning, he is running for the at large position. Thank you for coming in, sir. &nbsp;Carlton "Duke" Devaul: Oh, you're welcome.&nbsp;

🎧 Election 2025: Carlton "Duke" Devaul, candidate At-Large Hutchinson City Council

Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Darrin Truan. Truan is running for the at-large position on the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;We are talking with the candidates from the that are running for the at large position on Hutchinson city council, and right now we're with Darrin Truan Good Morning, sir. &nbsp;

Darrin Truan: Good morning. Marc, thanks for having me. &nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;So, tell us. Tell everybody a little bit about Darrin, where you're from and what you stand for.&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Okay, yes, my name is Darrin Truan, and I've lived here in Hutchison for about 25 years. I actually moved here in April of 2000 when I applied and was hired by the Hutchison Police Department. Like I said, I worked for them for 24 years and retired last July as a sergeant. I'm married. I have a son and a daughter who both attended Hutch high. Graduated from Hutch high. I now have two granddaughters, one 17 months and one five months. I own some investment property here in town and manage other investment properties for some other people. And I just feel that with my experience working for the city, that gives me knowledge on how the city works, and I would like to continue my service to my community by running and getting on the city council.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we'll get things started off. Little bit about economic development. How should Hutchinson balance attracting new industries like Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing while also supporting the downtown small businesses and the local small businesses. &nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, we definitely need to need more jobs in our community. We need higher paying jobs. I'm going to give the city, current city council credit. I think they've done an excellent job with this. They've been trying to recruit jobs, and like everybody knows or it's been put out. We are in the process of getting the Evergy energy plant that'll be coming. They'll start construction. I think it's in a year or so, but I think at same time, we can we definitely need to support our local businesses. We need to go out. We need to figure out what their needs are, how we as a city and a community can help them better and thrive. You know, we have a excellent college here that I believe can be set up, and so if a new company comes in, we can go to that new company and say, what type of training you need. And I believe the college can will do that and can do that. You know, the city has a good relationship with the chamber, and I think we need to continue that relationship. One thing I do want to say is if, if we give these companies that come in incentives or tax breaks, yes, we need to be concerned about their needs, but we need to make sure we're getting a good, conscious, solid contribution back to our tax burden, and make sure we're getting that it's worthwhile having them come in.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, so this kind of goes along, hand over, you know, hand over fist with economic development. But what specific steps would you or would you have the City Council take to address the city's housing shortage, particularly affordable and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and or nonprofits to develop those housing issues?&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Okay, again, I give the current city council credit. They've done an excellent job with this. Right now we there's three projects that are underway for housing. They just signed a an agreement with a company to develop houses there at that 11th and Hendricks area that the city purchased. There's another developer at 36 and Monroe. And then we know that we have a local contractor that's going to be building houses out on Plum Creek off of 43rd that contractor has, as we know, is secured several incentives, one lower specials, which I heard the other day, could save a homeowner $90,000 on a 20 year note, which that's a lot of money. The Community Foundation just secured a $2.46 million grant and low interest loans. I think what we as a council, we need to continue to work with those. When a developer does come in, we need to make sure that we're finding out what they need and do what we can to help them. What I want to see is that we make people want to come to Hutch and build and help develop our community so.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, one, one last question before we go to a break, Hutchinson faces a lot of aging infrastructure and limited with the limited budgets, how would you if you were on city council prior towards your spending on like, say, water systems, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, I have an acronym. It's called. I call it the three P's, which is public safety, potholes and plumbing. Public Safety basically deals with fire and EMS. I believe, right now, our fire and EMS is in pretty good shape. Our police department is, I believe, almost, if not, at full staff. They've got a lot of officers to train Fire Department, the way I understand, is in pretty good shape. They may be down a few so I'm not sure that we need to worry about that a whole lot. We still have to fund them and take care of them. We do need to, we've got to work, continue to work on our roads, and that's one of the biggest complaints I hear, is the potholes and we need to make sure we're spending our money there. The other issue we have is, is our water and sewer needs. The it's been brought up that our water sewer treatment plant needs lots of work. At the last Council meeting, the Council voted to apply for some loans for that, and unfortunately, it appears that we're going to have to, or they're going to have to raise our water and sewer rates. Now, I did do some research, and it's it appears, even if we raise our sewer rates and water rates, Hutch is still below average. But we just need to, we've got to maintain the current infrastructure we have, and just try not to let it get in the situation we're in now.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;What role should the city play in supporting like parks and parks and arts and community services, and how can the city make those amenities better available to residents.&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;I definitely think we do need to support our current parks. I do have concerns about trying to take on more parks. You know, we I have actually talked to some employees in the city, and one of their concerns is, I feel like maybe we are taking on more than they can handle. So in a financial situation, I think we need to worry about that, make sure that once we take on a new infrastructure, we have infrastructure we have the ability to support it. As far as promoting downtown, I'm excited with Memorial Hall and the $2.5 million star bonds that we've received, I would just like to see more entertainment brought into Memorial Hall. And I think if we can do more down there, that can bring more to downtown, and we'll go from there.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, this is one that everybody talks about, because you're spending basically the city is spending their money. How would you ensure that taxpayer dollars are efficiently spent and that residents have a clear understanding of how those decisions are made by the council and at City Hall?&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, as far as the spending, I go back to my three-p acronym. I think we need to I've said it before, I will treat their budget like my household budget. We need to pay for the necessities. First, take care of what we have to take care of. And then if we have what I call fun money left, we then we use that for other stuff. But I believe we have to take care of our necessities first. You know, I'm not sure, or, you know, if we can try to, by doing that, lower our tax base, that's what I will try to do. As far as getting the information out to people, this is one of the big things I really I've learned since I've announced my candidacy and went to all the city council meetings. I've learned so much, and I encourage people to they have the meetings in the evenings on 5:30 the first and third Tuesday of every month. I encourage people to go to the meetings. But if you can't go to the meetings, if you're not aware it's on YouTube, you can watch it live, or you can go back and watch it later. And I encourage people to do that also. I believe if you give your email to the city, they will send you a newsletter. I've been getting newsletters recently, and they're pretty informative. One thing if I'm elected, I would like to promote is, and that's one thing I want to try to do, is figure out a way. To get information out to all aspects of people. You know, there's they, there's stuff put out on Facebook, there's stuff put out on email, but there's a lot of people that don't do Facebook. Maybe have a answer questions or question answer session with the local radio station, and where people can call in. I just I think the more informed people are, and the more questions people ask, the more they're going to understand what's going on.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we’ve got a couple minutes left here in 10 years. What do you hope to see? Where do you hope the city is? What the city looks like? And how can you help get us there?&nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, I think we continue with the momentum we have right now. I would like to see a thriving workforce, beautiful homes and a city that's worth investing in. I want a community that my kids, grandkids, and down the road great grandkids would be proud to stay here and want to stay here and live in.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, any part, any final words before we get out here.

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;I just want to ask everybody or thank everybody for the support I've got so far. I just feel that my experience with the working for the city has gave me knowledge that I can use for this. I want to bring a common sense approach to the city council, ask questions and make sure that we're making all the right decisions. And I would ask for you to support me and vote for me on November 4.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; &nbsp;All right, we have been talking with Darrin Truan, and he is running for the at large position on the Hutchinson City Council. The election is on Tuesday. Polls open at seven, and so everybody get out and vote. Thank you for coming in this morning. &nbsp;

Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747092483078.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Darrin Truan. Truan is running for the at-large position on the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;We are talking with the candidates from the that are running for the at large position on Hutchinson city council, and right now we're with Darrin Truan Good Morning, sir. &nbsp;Darrin Truan: Good morning. Marc, thanks for having me. &nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;So, tell us. Tell everybody a little bit about Darrin, where you're from and what you stand for.&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Okay, yes, my name is Darrin Truan, and I've lived here in Hutchison for about 25 years. I actually moved here in April of 2000 when I applied and was hired by the Hutchison Police Department. Like I said, I worked for them for 24 years and retired last July as a sergeant. I'm married. I have a son and a daughter who both attended Hutch high. Graduated from Hutch high. I now have two granddaughters, one 17 months and one five months. I own some investment property here in town and manage other investment properties for some other people. And I just feel that with my experience working for the city, that gives me knowledge on how the city works, and I would like to continue my service to my community by running and getting on the city council.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761922286455.jpeg" alt="Darrin Truan (Hutch Post photo)" />
 <figcaption>Darrin Truan (Hutch Post photo)</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Darrin Truan - At Large, Hutchinson City Council" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=aawa3-19ad263-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we'll get things started off. Little bit about economic development. How should Hutchinson balance attracting new industries like Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing while also supporting the downtown small businesses and the local small businesses. &nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, we definitely need to need more jobs in our community. We need higher paying jobs. I'm going to give the city, current city council credit. I think they've done an excellent job with this. They've been trying to recruit jobs, and like everybody knows or it's been put out. We are in the process of getting the Evergy energy plant that'll be coming. They'll start construction. I think it's in a year or so, but I think at same time, we can we definitely need to support our local businesses. We need to go out. We need to figure out what their needs are, how we as a city and a community can help them better and thrive. You know, we have a excellent college here that I believe can be set up, and so if a new company comes in, we can go to that new company and say, what type of training you need. And I believe the college can will do that and can do that. You know, the city has a good relationship with the chamber, and I think we need to continue that relationship. One thing I do want to say is if, if we give these companies that come in incentives or tax breaks, yes, we need to be concerned about their needs, but we need to make sure we're getting a good, conscious, solid contribution back to our tax burden, and make sure we're getting that it's worthwhile having them come in.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, so this kind of goes along, hand over, you know, hand over fist with economic development. But what specific steps would you or would you have the City Council take to address the city's housing shortage, particularly affordable and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and or nonprofits to develop those housing issues?&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Okay, again, I give the current city council credit. They've done an excellent job with this. Right now we there's three projects that are underway for housing. They just signed a an agreement with a company to develop houses there at that 11th and Hendricks area that the city purchased. There's another developer at 36 and Monroe. And then we know that we have a local contractor that's going to be building houses out on Plum Creek off of 43rd that contractor has, as we know, is secured several incentives, one lower specials, which I heard the other day, could save a homeowner $90,000 on a 20 year note, which that's a lot of money. The Community Foundation just secured a $2.46 million grant and low interest loans. I think what we as a council, we need to continue to work with those. When a developer does come in, we need to make sure that we're finding out what they need and do what we can to help them. What I want to see is that we make people want to come to Hutch and build and help develop our community so.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, one, one last question before we go to a break, Hutchinson faces a lot of aging infrastructure and limited with the limited budgets, how would you if you were on city council prior towards your spending on like, say, water systems, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, I have an acronym. It's called. I call it the three P's, which is public safety, potholes and plumbing. Public Safety basically deals with fire and EMS. I believe, right now, our fire and EMS is in pretty good shape. Our police department is, I believe, almost, if not, at full staff. They've got a lot of officers to train Fire Department, the way I understand, is in pretty good shape. They may be down a few so I'm not sure that we need to worry about that a whole lot. We still have to fund them and take care of them. We do need to, we've got to work, continue to work on our roads, and that's one of the biggest complaints I hear, is the potholes and we need to make sure we're spending our money there. The other issue we have is, is our water and sewer needs. The it's been brought up that our water sewer treatment plant needs lots of work. At the last Council meeting, the Council voted to apply for some loans for that, and unfortunately, it appears that we're going to have to, or they're going to have to raise our water and sewer rates. Now, I did do some research, and it's it appears, even if we raise our sewer rates and water rates, Hutch is still below average. But we just need to, we've got to maintain the current infrastructure we have, and just try not to let it get in the situation we're in now.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;What role should the city play in supporting like parks and parks and arts and community services, and how can the city make those amenities better available to residents.&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;I definitely think we do need to support our current parks. I do have concerns about trying to take on more parks. You know, we I have actually talked to some employees in the city, and one of their concerns is, I feel like maybe we are taking on more than they can handle. So in a financial situation, I think we need to worry about that, make sure that once we take on a new infrastructure, we have infrastructure we have the ability to support it. As far as promoting downtown, I'm excited with Memorial Hall and the $2.5 million star bonds that we've received, I would just like to see more entertainment brought into Memorial Hall. And I think if we can do more down there, that can bring more to downtown, and we'll go from there.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, this is one that everybody talks about, because you're spending basically the city is spending their money. How would you ensure that taxpayer dollars are efficiently spent and that residents have a clear understanding of how those decisions are made by the council and at City Hall?&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, as far as the spending, I go back to my three-p acronym. I think we need to I've said it before, I will treat their budget like my household budget. We need to pay for the necessities. First, take care of what we have to take care of. And then if we have what I call fun money left, we then we use that for other stuff. But I believe we have to take care of our necessities first. You know, I'm not sure, or, you know, if we can try to, by doing that, lower our tax base, that's what I will try to do. As far as getting the information out to people, this is one of the big things I really I've learned since I've announced my candidacy and went to all the city council meetings. I've learned so much, and I encourage people to they have the meetings in the evenings on 5:30 the first and third Tuesday of every month. I encourage people to go to the meetings. But if you can't go to the meetings, if you're not aware it's on YouTube, you can watch it live, or you can go back and watch it later. And I encourage people to do that also. I believe if you give your email to the city, they will send you a newsletter. I've been getting newsletters recently, and they're pretty informative. One thing if I'm elected, I would like to promote is, and that's one thing I want to try to do, is figure out a way. To get information out to all aspects of people. You know, there's they, there's stuff put out on Facebook, there's stuff put out on email, but there's a lot of people that don't do Facebook. Maybe have a answer questions or question answer session with the local radio station, and where people can call in. I just I think the more informed people are, and the more questions people ask, the more they're going to understand what's going on.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we’ve got a couple minutes left here in 10 years. What do you hope to see? Where do you hope the city is? What the city looks like? And how can you help get us there?&nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Well, I think we continue with the momentum we have right now. I would like to see a thriving workforce, beautiful homes and a city that's worth investing in. I want a community that my kids, grandkids, and down the road great grandkids would be proud to stay here and want to stay here and live in.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, any part, any final words before we get out here.Darrin Truan:&nbsp;I just want to ask everybody or thank everybody for the support I've got so far. I just feel that my experience with the working for the city has gave me knowledge that I can use for this. I want to bring a common sense approach to the city council, ask questions and make sure that we're making all the right decisions. And I would ask for you to support me and vote for me on November 4.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; &nbsp;All right, we have been talking with Darrin Truan, and he is running for the at large position on the Hutchinson City Council. The election is on Tuesday. Polls open at seven, and so everybody get out and vote. Thank you for coming in this morning. &nbsp;Darrin Truan:&nbsp;Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

🎧 Election 2025: Darrin Truan, candidate At-Large Hutchinson City Council

🎧⚽ HHS boy's drop game to Kapaun ⛳ HCC Men's Golf at NJCAA Preview 🏐 State volleyball

Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Councilwoman Stacy Goss. Goss is running&nbsp;for the council seat representing the Northwest District.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; This morning, we are talking with the northwest, the candidates for Northwest council seat for the City Commission, and Stacy Goss is with us now. Good morning. Hi, good morning. So tell us, tell everybody a little bit about Stacey Goss, who she is.&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Absolutely so five years ago, my husband and I made a decision. We moved back home to Hutch because this is where our hearts are. I was born, excuse me, I was born and raised here, and I wanted my kids to grow up in the same kind of community that shaped me. I'm a homeowner, a minivan driver, the wife of a United States Air Force veteran and the proud mom of two little ones. When I first ran for city council, my youngest was just six months old, and there was probably terrible timing on paper, but I couldn't ignore what my heart was telling me. I knew that somebody had to step up because the future of Hutch matters too much to just sit on the sidelines. Our city deserves leaders who show up, who listen, and who care deeply about where we're headed, not just for today, but for the next generation. I hold a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in healthcare leadership. So, through courses like risk management, decision making and Strategic Planning and Performance Analytics, I've built a strong foundation in budgeting, strategic thinking and effective leadership, and these translate directly into city governance. Over the past three years, while I've on, been on city council, I've learned that the real progress doesn't come from politics. It comes from the people and the people who love this town enough to do the hard work and roll up their sleeves. They make sure our neighborhoods are safe, our economy is strong, and our families are supported. And that's why I'm running for reelection, because I want my kids and everyone in Hutch to grow up and live in a hutch that's thriving and where opportunity lives on every corner. All&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;So first question out of the chute is, how should Hutchinson balance acting attracting new industries like renewable energy or advanced manufacturing, while also supporting the small, locally owned businesses and downtown revitalization, revitalization?&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah,&nbsp;Hutch’s&nbsp;economic future depends on a balanced approach, where we're welcoming new industries while strengthening the businesses and entrepreneurs already investing in our community. So while we're out recruiting sectors like Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing, our focus must be on long term stability with good jobs, career pathways for our students and opportunities that keep young families here, for example, the Evergy plant, which will provide first power in 2030 that will create 500 construction jobs in the short term, and then 20 to 40 skilled long term positions paying more than $90,000 annually. We already know that certain industries are attracted to this type of energy, and we're actively pursuing every lead to bring new employers here that can provide sustainable jobs and economic stability for decades to come, but at the same time, we must continue supporting our small mom and pop, locally owned businesses and our downtown district, because those are the heart of Hutch identity. So that means expanding access to small business grants, streamlining permitting processes, and investing in infrastructure like sidewalks, lighting, and police. During my time as mayor, we approved a facade improvement program which helps businesses enhance their storefronts without breaking the bank. So, growing together is not choosing one sector over the other, but making Hutch a place where entrepreneurs can thrive. Families feel connected, and skilled workers have good opportunities.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;Here's another hot but hot button topic. What specific steps would you take to address the housing shortage, particularly affordable and workforce housing, and how should a city partner with developers or nonprofits to help achieve that?&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;We have worked on this so much this year during my time as mayor, and the challenges that we face, especially affordable housing for seniors and then workforce housing for working families and young professionals require a proactive, collaborative and strategic approach. First, we need to continue using targeted incentives that make housing financially viable, such as the reinvestment housing incentive district or RHID. These programs are especially important for larger developments, but we can't forget the value added by those who are renovating existing properties. So, we're supporting the rehab and infill projects that convert unused and underutilized buildings into new housing options, because that can help it expand our supply more quickly, and then strong partnerships are essential. The city continues to work closely with nonprofit partners, housing authorities and private developers, we're aligning zoning, infrastructure, Planning and Development timelines so that we can reduce the barriers and support these projects that are ready to move forward. I also believe that employers should be part of the conversation, because stable, affordable housing is directly tied to attracting or retaining workforce talent, and we're not starting from scratch. During my time as mayor, we've seen that the Hutch High and Hutch Community College building trade students are constructing three homes a year for three years on infill lots through the frame grant in partnership with interfaith housing, the Hay Street project near 11th and Hrndricks, which will bring 30 new workforce homes. We just awarded that contract at our last Council meeting. 36th and Monroe, the RHID project will create 60 homes, Landmark Fifth and Main, 24 moderate income housing with 36 units. Total, Plum Creek is up to 80 homes across three phases, with 24 of those in the first phase are supported by MIH. Then you have the resurgence program and new beginnings with the Structural Insulated Panels, which were a pilot program, but we see that potentially scaling into standard size home production. So, the RHID and the MIH grants are not new programs. We've sat by as a community and watched these go to other communities for years, but that's changed. In the past three years, we've been awarded multiple types of RHID and MIH grants. We've also sought light tech grant funding, housing grant funded housing and more. So, it's a community wide all hands-on deck approach.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, one last question before we go to break Hutchinson facing aging infrastructure such as Memorial Hall and limited budgets, how do you propose? How do you prioritize our spending on roads, water system budget, safety and other core services?&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah. So we are, just like other communities of our size, we face the challenge of aging infrastructure and limited budgets. So my approach has been to prioritize safety, efficiency, and long-term value for our residents. Public Safety, of course, always comes first. During my time as mayor, we've made strides to reduce our first response time, which is critical in emergency situations. But we're also taking a data driven approach, which is evidenced by the water study that we funded earlier this summer. We're using condition assessments, cost benefit analysis, and long-term planning so that we can identify which projects need immediate attention and which can be scheduled over time. But let's talk about the water, because I'm glad that my opponent has started doing our research on the real issues that we face as a council. At the chamber forum, we were asked what's the most important issue facing the city council, and she said, mental health. My response was water. And I've made it very clear over the past few months that we're in dire need of reinvestment in our water infrastructure, which we are currently prioritizing as a city. That's why we funded a water study this summer, and we just made significant investments in our water system at our last meeting. We've been using preventive maintenance for streets and water systems, but we knew that in the long run, we need to make costly repairs, or we need to make more investments to avoid costly repairs later down the road.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;Continuing where we were at what, what role should the city play in supporting parks, arts, community events, and how can Hutchinson make these amenities accessible to all residents?&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;So, I believe that the biggest issue facing the city right now in in this topic is Memorial Hall. This renovation will be huge, and it'll be such a draw for our community, the memorial hall project will receive about $2.5 million in Star bond, Star bond funding from the state, and when it's complete, we'll have a revitalized facility that's capable of hosting another 100 Years of entertainment, community events, gingerbread house decorating and more, and these are the exact type of quality of life amenities that young people, families and individuals, look for when they're deciding to move to or stay in a community. These programs strengthen pride, promote health and wellness, and make such a vibrant and welcoming place. But as you can see, the role of government in these types of events is really very little. We create the environment for them to thrive, but we don't actually plan these events. Those are all done by our nonprofit partners. My opponent at the Chamber forum had said that we need to sell off park land and turn it over to housing developers or to an HOA. I completely disagree. Our parks are a quality-of-life issue. We need to maintain them and keep them, because they do draw young families here.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; &nbsp;All right, fiscal responsibility. How do we? How do you? How does the city council ensure that taxpayers know that their money is being spent efficient, efficient,&nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yes, my approach is threefold. Prioritize, plan, and communicate. We prioritize; we prioritize spending on safety, infrastructure needs, and long-term value for the city. So, these projects and programs are evaluated carefully to ensure they deliver measurable and measurable benefits and avoid unnecessary costs. Second, we print. We plan strategically by using data, condition assessments and cost benefit analysis, we can make informed decisions, schedule projects over time, and reduce emergency spending that strain the budget. This also ensures that our investments are sustainable in line with our long-term goals. And then finally, transparency is essential. Residents should understand how decisions are made, how funds are allocated, and what outcomes are expected. And that's why I support open meetings, clear reporting and communication through multiple channels, so that taxpayers are informed and can provide input. We've recently held meetings with residents after projects to gather feedback and set clear expectations now that a project has wrapped up, these meetings go a long way to build trust in the community between residents and our staff. So by combining all of these, we keep residents fully informed every step of the way.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;One last question that we got a couple minutes left here. In 10 years, where do you see the City of Hutch? What do you think the city of Hutch will look like? What initiatives and policy changes could the city put in place to make that vision a reality? &nbsp;

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah. So, in 10 years, I'll be 49 and still a young professional, and in 10 years, I hope that the city is a place where families and businesses see a future worth investing in. I know that's the vision that my husband and I and myself had when we moved here and I was also a small business owner. I envision Vibrant Neighborhoods, a thriving downtown with a with a hop in Memorial Hall, modern infrastructure housing that's affordable for working families and for seniors, and they also want parks and community programs to be accessible to everyone, because they build pride and connection across our city. So by expanding workforce and affordable housing through our hid nonprofits and other programs, training people in the building trades, investing strategically and investing in infrastructure, we can ensure that our community maintains the amenities needed and that we maintain our quality of life.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we got about a minute and a half left. Is there anything you want to add or say about?

Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah, so I mean, the whole reason that I ran for city council just about three years ago was because we had two, two women were stepping down, and to me, it's very important that we have good representation on our city council. If I'm not elected, we will not have anybody under age 55 on our council. And that concerns me, because as we talk so much about how to bring young families here, how to bring people back to the community, we need people with this lived experience like myself, who can tell you what brings people to a community, what are the challenges with child care? What are the challenges that young professionals face? And I bring that to the council.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right; we have been talking with Mayor Stacey&nbsp;Goss. She is running for the Northwest District Commission seat here in Hutchinson. The election is on Monday, on Tuesday, excuse me. Polls open at seven o'clock. Advanced voting continues on till eight to&nbsp;five&nbsp;today and tomorrow, and then from eight till noon on Monday. So, Stacy, thank you for taking the time to stop. &nbsp;

Stacy Goss: Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747092483078.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Councilwoman Stacy Goss. Goss is running&nbsp;for the council seat representing the Northwest District.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; This morning, we are talking with the northwest, the candidates for Northwest council seat for the City Commission, and Stacy Goss is with us now. Good morning. Hi, good morning. So tell us, tell everybody a little bit about Stacey Goss, who she is.&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Absolutely so five years ago, my husband and I made a decision. We moved back home to Hutch because this is where our hearts are. I was born, excuse me, I was born and raised here, and I wanted my kids to grow up in the same kind of community that shaped me. I'm a homeowner, a minivan driver, the wife of a United States Air Force veteran and the proud mom of two little ones. When I first ran for city council, my youngest was just six months old, and there was probably terrible timing on paper, but I couldn't ignore what my heart was telling me. I knew that somebody had to step up because the future of Hutch matters too much to just sit on the sidelines. Our city deserves leaders who show up, who listen, and who care deeply about where we're headed, not just for today, but for the next generation. I hold a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in healthcare leadership. So, through courses like risk management, decision making and Strategic Planning and Performance Analytics, I've built a strong foundation in budgeting, strategic thinking and effective leadership, and these translate directly into city governance. Over the past three years, while I've on, been on city council, I've learned that the real progress doesn't come from politics. It comes from the people and the people who love this town enough to do the hard work and roll up their sleeves. They make sure our neighborhoods are safe, our economy is strong, and our families are supported. And that's why I'm running for reelection, because I want my kids and everyone in Hutch to grow up and live in a hutch that's thriving and where opportunity lives on every corner. All&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;So first question out of the chute is, how should Hutchinson balance acting attracting new industries like renewable energy or advanced manufacturing, while also supporting the small, locally owned businesses and downtown revitalization, revitalization?&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;Yeah,&nbsp;Hutch’s&nbsp;economic future depends on a balanced approach, where we're welcoming new industries while strengthening the businesses and entrepreneurs already investing in our community. So while we're out recruiting sectors like Renewable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing, our focus must be on long term stability with good jobs, career pathways for our students and opportunities that keep young families here, for example, the Evergy plant, which will provide first power in 2030 that will create 500 construction jobs in the short term, and then 20 to 40 skilled long term positions paying more than $90,000 annually. We already know that certain industries are attracted to this type of energy, and we're actively pursuing every lead to bring new employers here that can provide sustainable jobs and economic stability for decades to come, but at the same time, we must continue supporting our small mom and pop, locally owned businesses and our downtown district, because those are the heart of Hutch identity. So that means expanding access to small business grants, streamlining permitting processes, and investing in infrastructure like sidewalks, lighting, and police. During my time as mayor, we approved a facade improvement program which helps businesses enhance their storefronts without breaking the bank. So, growing together is not choosing one sector over the other, but making Hutch a place where entrepreneurs can thrive. Families feel connected, and skilled workers have good opportunities.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717519919869.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Stacy Goss - Northwest District, Hutchinson City Council" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=i5fxb-19ab899-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;Here's another hot but hot button topic. What specific steps would you take to address the housing shortage, particularly affordable and workforce housing, and how should a city partner with developers or nonprofits to help achieve that?&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;We have worked on this so much this year during my time as mayor, and the challenges that we face, especially affordable housing for seniors and then workforce housing for working families and young professionals require a proactive, collaborative and strategic approach. First, we need to continue using targeted incentives that make housing financially viable, such as the reinvestment housing incentive district or RHID. These programs are especially important for larger developments, but we can't forget the value added by those who are renovating existing properties. So, we're supporting the rehab and infill projects that convert unused and underutilized buildings into new housing options, because that can help it expand our supply more quickly, and then strong partnerships are essential. The city continues to work closely with nonprofit partners, housing authorities and private developers, we're aligning zoning, infrastructure, Planning and Development timelines so that we can reduce the barriers and support these projects that are ready to move forward. I also believe that employers should be part of the conversation, because stable, affordable housing is directly tied to attracting or retaining workforce talent, and we're not starting from scratch. During my time as mayor, we've seen that the Hutch High and Hutch Community College building trade students are constructing three homes a year for three years on infill lots through the frame grant in partnership with interfaith housing, the Hay Street project near 11th and Hrndricks, which will bring 30 new workforce homes. We just awarded that contract at our last Council meeting. 36th and Monroe, the RHID project will create 60 homes, Landmark Fifth and Main, 24 moderate income housing with 36 units. Total, Plum Creek is up to 80 homes across three phases, with 24 of those in the first phase are supported by MIH. Then you have the resurgence program and new beginnings with the Structural Insulated Panels, which were a pilot program, but we see that potentially scaling into standard size home production. So, the RHID and the MIH grants are not new programs. We've sat by as a community and watched these go to other communities for years, but that's changed. In the past three years, we've been awarded multiple types of RHID and MIH grants. We've also sought light tech grant funding, housing grant funded housing and more. So, it's a community wide all hands-on deck approach.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, one last question before we go to break Hutchinson facing aging infrastructure such as Memorial Hall and limited budgets, how do you propose? How do you prioritize our spending on roads, water system budget, safety and other core services?&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah. So we are, just like other communities of our size, we face the challenge of aging infrastructure and limited budgets. So my approach has been to prioritize safety, efficiency, and long-term value for our residents. Public Safety, of course, always comes first. During my time as mayor, we've made strides to reduce our first response time, which is critical in emergency situations. But we're also taking a data driven approach, which is evidenced by the water study that we funded earlier this summer. We're using condition assessments, cost benefit analysis, and long-term planning so that we can identify which projects need immediate attention and which can be scheduled over time. But let's talk about the water, because I'm glad that my opponent has started doing our research on the real issues that we face as a council. At the chamber forum, we were asked what's the most important issue facing the city council, and she said, mental health. My response was water. And I've made it very clear over the past few months that we're in dire need of reinvestment in our water infrastructure, which we are currently prioritizing as a city. That's why we funded a water study this summer, and we just made significant investments in our water system at our last meeting. We've been using preventive maintenance for streets and water systems, but we knew that in the long run, we need to make costly repairs, or we need to make more investments to avoid costly repairs later down the road.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;Continuing where we were at what, what role should the city play in supporting parks, arts, community events, and how can Hutchinson make these amenities accessible to all residents?&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;&nbsp;So, I believe that the biggest issue facing the city right now in in this topic is Memorial Hall. This renovation will be huge, and it'll be such a draw for our community, the memorial hall project will receive about $2.5 million in Star bond, Star bond funding from the state, and when it's complete, we'll have a revitalized facility that's capable of hosting another 100 Years of entertainment, community events, gingerbread house decorating and more, and these are the exact type of quality of life amenities that young people, families and individuals, look for when they're deciding to move to or stay in a community. These programs strengthen pride, promote health and wellness, and make such a vibrant and welcoming place. But as you can see, the role of government in these types of events is really very little. We create the environment for them to thrive, but we don't actually plan these events. Those are all done by our nonprofit partners. My opponent at the Chamber forum had said that we need to sell off park land and turn it over to housing developers or to an HOA. I completely disagree. Our parks are a quality-of-life issue. We need to maintain them and keep them, because they do draw young families here.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp; &nbsp;All right, fiscal responsibility. How do we? How do you? How does the city council ensure that taxpayers know that their money is being spent efficient, efficient,&nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yes, my approach is threefold. Prioritize, plan, and communicate. We prioritize; we prioritize spending on safety, infrastructure needs, and long-term value for the city. So, these projects and programs are evaluated carefully to ensure they deliver measurable and measurable benefits and avoid unnecessary costs. Second, we print. We plan strategically by using data, condition assessments and cost benefit analysis, we can make informed decisions, schedule projects over time, and reduce emergency spending that strain the budget. This also ensures that our investments are sustainable in line with our long-term goals. And then finally, transparency is essential. Residents should understand how decisions are made, how funds are allocated, and what outcomes are expected. And that's why I support open meetings, clear reporting and communication through multiple channels, so that taxpayers are informed and can provide input. We've recently held meetings with residents after projects to gather feedback and set clear expectations now that a project has wrapped up, these meetings go a long way to build trust in the community between residents and our staff. So by combining all of these, we keep residents fully informed every step of the way.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;One last question that we got a couple minutes left here. In 10 years, where do you see the City of Hutch? What do you think the city of Hutch will look like? What initiatives and policy changes could the city put in place to make that vision a reality? &nbsp;Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah. So, in 10 years, I'll be 49 and still a young professional, and in 10 years, I hope that the city is a place where families and businesses see a future worth investing in. I know that's the vision that my husband and I and myself had when we moved here and I was also a small business owner. I envision Vibrant Neighborhoods, a thriving downtown with a with a hop in Memorial Hall, modern infrastructure housing that's affordable for working families and for seniors, and they also want parks and community programs to be accessible to everyone, because they build pride and connection across our city. So by expanding workforce and affordable housing through our hid nonprofits and other programs, training people in the building trades, investing strategically and investing in infrastructure, we can ensure that our community maintains the amenities needed and that we maintain our quality of life.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right, we got about a minute and a half left. Is there anything you want to add or say about?Stacy Goss:&nbsp;Yeah, so I mean, the whole reason that I ran for city council just about three years ago was because we had two, two women were stepping down, and to me, it's very important that we have good representation on our city council. If I'm not elected, we will not have anybody under age 55 on our council. And that concerns me, because as we talk so much about how to bring young families here, how to bring people back to the community, we need people with this lived experience like myself, who can tell you what brings people to a community, what are the challenges with child care? What are the challenges that young professionals face? And I bring that to the council.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;&nbsp;All right; we have been talking with Mayor Stacey&nbsp;Goss. She is running for the Northwest District Commission seat here in Hutchinson. The election is on Monday, on Tuesday, excuse me. Polls open at seven o'clock. Advanced voting continues on till eight to&nbsp;five&nbsp;today and tomorrow, and then from eight till noon on Monday. So, Stacy, thank you for taking the time to stop. &nbsp;Stacy Goss: Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

🎧 Election 2025: Stacy Goss, candidate Northwest District Hutchinson City Council

Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Devon Reese. She is running for the council seat representing the Northwest District.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs: Today we are talking with the council candidates for the Northwest district of Hutchinson. Right now, we are speaking with Devin Reese. Good morning. Good morning. How are you fine? And tell me a little bit about Devon Reese. Tell me who she is, where she's from.&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I was born and raised here. I was only not here for 10 years, so that's 56 years, minus 10. I have two kids who went to school here. I have two grandkids here. My mom is here still, and I'm just a person who wants to make Hutch better.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So let's just dive right into it. How should Hutchinson balance attracting new industries like renewable energy, energy or advanced manufacturing, while also trying to support locally owned businesses and create downtown revitalization.&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I think that our biggest problem is obviously our taxes. We should make it easier for people and more affordable for people to live here, for businesses to be here, we need to help out our downtown businesses that are already here. They have a huge potential. We need to grant them grace, grant them patience, to make their businesses grow from the beginning, and support them. We can support them with downtown events, with local events such as, I mean, Oklahoma and Missouri have no tax weekends. We could do something like that to help them. That also helps with the taxes. I mean, when you're sending kids to school, you got all kinds of expenses. We can cut the taxes for a weekend so that they can get those supplies and help them, everyone out.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, so this kind of goes along with that. We talk about housing and neighborhoods. What specific steps would you like to take to address Hutchinson's housing shortage, particularly the affordable and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and nonprofits to accomplish that,&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;We need to streamline Fast Track permits for zoning and the new developments where the city owns land. It would be nice if they could go ahead and develop it how they wanted to develop it and then let the builders all build. If it's more than one builder, it's going to come up fast. Come up faster for a city neighborhood, for housing, if it's for city development, have all the infrastructure done already, and then the businesses will be able to fast track a little bit more. That goes for even like housing now that want to do construction at their house, we need to fast track and help those permits go faster. Dot our i's and cross our t's the first time so we don't have to do it a second time.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Okay, this is probably another important, a very important issue. You know, we've talked about economic development, we've talked about housing in neighborhoods, infrastructure and public safety. Safety is the next thing to think about as the city faces aging infrastructure and limited budgets. How do you prior? How would you suggest we prioritize spending on roads, water system, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, obviously our water system is got to be our first and foremost thought in our minds. We have not maintained that for years, so we need to, unfortunately, pay more so that we can get that, so we have better water. And right now, we have great parks. Yes, we have to maintain that. We have to maintain our roads. We have to upgrade the systems that we have now, but maintenance all along the way is key. If we would be made would have maintained our water supply system and infrastructure. We may not be in the place that we are now.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We've talked about economic development, we've talked about housing and neighborhoods, we've talked about infrastructure and public safety. Next step is quality of life and community engagement. What role should the city of Hutchinson play in supporting parks and arts and community events, and how can Hutchinson make these amenities more accessible to all residents.&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;First way that we can make it accessible is to make them known. Use our businesses to help promote them. Work with local businesses to help bring in the different kinds of events that will help their business as well. So. Yeah, we need to maintain our parks that we have. We need to simplify the permit process for everyone, not just a few. We need to bring in a variety of events that engage all people, such as outdoor concerts during the summertime, Christmas Village at Christmas Halloween Town. I mean, I love Halloween. Who doesn't flower festivals during the spring, we have an art gallery that I really didn't know a lot about until just recently, bring in a local artist, like a tree Carver, metal artist, glass blower, people who can show off their talents at our gallery, and it just be a festival of sorts.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one can be a tricky issue, and I don't think it's a tricky issue. It's pretty straight up front and foremost, there's physical responsibility and transparency. If you are elected, how would you ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and what and residents have a clear understanding of how the decisions are made at City Council and at City Hall?&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;First, I think that we definitely need to be transparent, and a way to do that is for people to get involved. There's lots of committees that they can get involved in. And when a person is involved in the city and in groups, they know more. We need to have our budget on our agenda every month. It needs to be talked about the people of Hutchinson, they are checks and balances, and if they know they're going to keep us on track. I also think that if that our city council meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of every month, at 5:30 so that doesn't make it so everyone can go to it. So, if we had a town hall meeting once a quarter even, to go over a budget, go over things like our water infrastructure, people will be more aware of why things are happening and why money is being spent. Okay.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Final topic is, it is basically a look ahead, a look and look into the future. In 10 years, what do you think, or what do you hope the city will look like, and what key initiatives or policy changes would you like to enact now to champion to make that goal a reality?&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I have two grandkids. They're part of the reason why I'm running for city council is their future here. In 10 years, they'll be teenagers and deciding what and where they want to be and what they want to be. I want them to stay invested in their hometown, which is here in hutch, and be proud in 10 years, we should have more housing, more manufacturing and more attractions, having businesses, people, having businesses, and people who are invested in their hometown, teaching now, teaching those in our future how to invest in the hometown is going to be prosperous for all of us. The one thing that is leading me in everything I do is that I use common sense to evaluate the situation and problems and solve them.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, we have a few minutes left in this in this interview. Is there anything that you want to bring up that you have not brought up, or you want to make any adjustments to what you had said earlier? Now's the time to do it. So, the microphone is yours.&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;So, whenever we're talking about housing and neighborhoods, a lot of our downtown businesses are owned by people who don't live here anymore. I think that one thing that we need to do is get a hold of them, find out what their what they want to do with that building, what their ideas are. Help them get that. And we can use businesses like interfaith housing to help update decapitated homes. We can help it with maybe even the JUCO students who are in the constructions learning the constructions trade. Maybe they can help us with those businesses and revitalize them and make them useful. We need to use all of our assets here in town, and we have lots of them. They're just not tapped into another thing that I think we really need to remember is part of the city council's job is public safety, economic growth and quality of life. We have all that potential here. We just need, and we do use a lot of it. I'm not saying we don't, but we need to make sure that we are capitalizing on everybody's talents, just like we do in your businesses, you capitalize on talents, and you help the weak become strong. We're only as strong as our weakest link, and that is. Very important. I think that we need to remember that unfortunately, we have to raise rates on some things but make sure that it's meaningful and not wasteful. Spending money on things like parks are important. I'm not saying they're not important, but another park is not always something we need to focus on right now. Right now, I'm going to say again, it is our water system and our water infrastructure that is important. It's going to help our growth. Another thing that's going to help our growth is again, lowering our taxes and our property taxes. We cannot be taxing people out of their house and homes in any way.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, you made great points about everything. Is there anything else that you would want to you want to add to inform voters what where you stand on what you and what you want to do moving forward.&nbsp;

Devon Reese:&nbsp;I want everyone to know that I'm here for everyone. I have never been in office before. This is the first time I'm running for office, and I if I am elected, or I should say when I'm elected, I want your help and in order for any city to grow and to prosper, everyone has to be involved. Everyone has to help. It's not one person, it's everybody. I hope that everyone will go out and vote on November 4. Open elections have started right now.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs: We have been talking with Devon Reese, she is a candidate for the Northwest district of the Hutchinson City Council. Thank you for your time this morning.&nbsp;

Devon Reese: Have a have a great day. Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747092483078.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Devon Reese. She is running for the council seat representing the Northwest District.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs: Today we are talking with the council candidates for the Northwest district of Hutchinson. Right now, we are speaking with Devin Reese. Good morning. Good morning. How are you fine? And tell me a little bit about Devon Reese. Tell me who she is, where she's from.&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I was born and raised here. I was only not here for 10 years, so that's 56 years, minus 10. I have two kids who went to school here. I have two grandkids here. My mom is here still, and I'm just a person who wants to make Hutch better.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So let's just dive right into it. How should Hutchinson balance attracting new industries like renewable energy, energy or advanced manufacturing, while also trying to support locally owned businesses and create downtown revitalization.&nbsp; Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I think that our biggest problem is obviously our taxes. We should make it easier for people and more affordable for people to live here, for businesses to be here, we need to help out our downtown businesses that are already here. They have a huge potential. We need to grant them grace, grant them patience, to make their businesses grow from the beginning, and support them. We can support them with downtown events, with local events such as, I mean, Oklahoma and Missouri have no tax weekends. We could do something like that to help them. That also helps with the taxes. I mean, when you're sending kids to school, you got all kinds of expenses. We can cut the taxes for a weekend so that they can get those supplies and help them, everyone out.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761826393577.jpeg" alt="Devon Reese (Courtesy photo)" />
 <figcaption>Devon Reese (Courtesy photo)</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Devon Reese - Northwest District, Hutchinson City Council" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=kawtm-19ab885-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, so this kind of goes along with that. We talk about housing and neighborhoods. What specific steps would you like to take to address Hutchinson's housing shortage, particularly the affordable and workforce housing, and how should the city partner with developers and nonprofits to accomplish that,&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;We need to streamline Fast Track permits for zoning and the new developments where the city owns land. It would be nice if they could go ahead and develop it how they wanted to develop it and then let the builders all build. If it's more than one builder, it's going to come up fast. Come up faster for a city neighborhood, for housing, if it's for city development, have all the infrastructure done already, and then the businesses will be able to fast track a little bit more. That goes for even like housing now that want to do construction at their house, we need to fast track and help those permits go faster. Dot our i's and cross our t's the first time so we don't have to do it a second time.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Okay, this is probably another important, a very important issue. You know, we've talked about economic development, we've talked about housing in neighborhoods, infrastructure and public safety. Safety is the next thing to think about as the city faces aging infrastructure and limited budgets. How do you prior? How would you suggest we prioritize spending on roads, water system, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, obviously our water system is got to be our first and foremost thought in our minds. We have not maintained that for years, so we need to, unfortunately, pay more so that we can get that, so we have better water. And right now, we have great parks. Yes, we have to maintain that. We have to maintain our roads. We have to upgrade the systems that we have now, but maintenance all along the way is key. If we would be made would have maintained our water supply system and infrastructure. We may not be in the place that we are now.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;We've talked about economic development, we've talked about housing and neighborhoods, we've talked about infrastructure and public safety. Next step is quality of life and community engagement. What role should the city of Hutchinson play in supporting parks and arts and community events, and how can Hutchinson make these amenities more accessible to all residents.&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;First way that we can make it accessible is to make them known. Use our businesses to help promote them. Work with local businesses to help bring in the different kinds of events that will help their business as well. So. Yeah, we need to maintain our parks that we have. We need to simplify the permit process for everyone, not just a few. We need to bring in a variety of events that engage all people, such as outdoor concerts during the summertime, Christmas Village at Christmas Halloween Town. I mean, I love Halloween. Who doesn't flower festivals during the spring, we have an art gallery that I really didn't know a lot about until just recently, bring in a local artist, like a tree Carver, metal artist, glass blower, people who can show off their talents at our gallery, and it just be a festival of sorts.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one can be a tricky issue, and I don't think it's a tricky issue. It's pretty straight up front and foremost, there's physical responsibility and transparency. If you are elected, how would you ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and what and residents have a clear understanding of how the decisions are made at City Council and at City Hall?&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;First, I think that we definitely need to be transparent, and a way to do that is for people to get involved. There's lots of committees that they can get involved in. And when a person is involved in the city and in groups, they know more. We need to have our budget on our agenda every month. It needs to be talked about the people of Hutchinson, they are checks and balances, and if they know they're going to keep us on track. I also think that if that our city council meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of every month, at 5:30 so that doesn't make it so everyone can go to it. So, if we had a town hall meeting once a quarter even, to go over a budget, go over things like our water infrastructure, people will be more aware of why things are happening and why money is being spent. Okay.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Final topic is, it is basically a look ahead, a look and look into the future. In 10 years, what do you think, or what do you hope the city will look like, and what key initiatives or policy changes would you like to enact now to champion to make that goal a reality?&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;Well, I have two grandkids. They're part of the reason why I'm running for city council is their future here. In 10 years, they'll be teenagers and deciding what and where they want to be and what they want to be. I want them to stay invested in their hometown, which is here in hutch, and be proud in 10 years, we should have more housing, more manufacturing and more attractions, having businesses, people, having businesses, and people who are invested in their hometown, teaching now, teaching those in our future how to invest in the hometown is going to be prosperous for all of us. The one thing that is leading me in everything I do is that I use common sense to evaluate the situation and problems and solve them.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, we have a few minutes left in this in this interview. Is there anything that you want to bring up that you have not brought up, or you want to make any adjustments to what you had said earlier? Now's the time to do it. So, the microphone is yours.&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;So, whenever we're talking about housing and neighborhoods, a lot of our downtown businesses are owned by people who don't live here anymore. I think that one thing that we need to do is get a hold of them, find out what their what they want to do with that building, what their ideas are. Help them get that. And we can use businesses like interfaith housing to help update decapitated homes. We can help it with maybe even the JUCO students who are in the constructions learning the constructions trade. Maybe they can help us with those businesses and revitalize them and make them useful. We need to use all of our assets here in town, and we have lots of them. They're just not tapped into another thing that I think we really need to remember is part of the city council's job is public safety, economic growth and quality of life. We have all that potential here. We just need, and we do use a lot of it. I'm not saying we don't, but we need to make sure that we are capitalizing on everybody's talents, just like we do in your businesses, you capitalize on talents, and you help the weak become strong. We're only as strong as our weakest link, and that is. Very important. I think that we need to remember that unfortunately, we have to raise rates on some things but make sure that it's meaningful and not wasteful. Spending money on things like parks are important. I'm not saying they're not important, but another park is not always something we need to focus on right now. Right now, I'm going to say again, it is our water system and our water infrastructure that is important. It's going to help our growth. Another thing that's going to help our growth is again, lowering our taxes and our property taxes. We cannot be taxing people out of their house and homes in any way.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, you made great points about everything. Is there anything else that you would want to you want to add to inform voters what where you stand on what you and what you want to do moving forward.&nbsp;Devon Reese:&nbsp;I want everyone to know that I'm here for everyone. I have never been in office before. This is the first time I'm running for office, and I if I am elected, or I should say when I'm elected, I want your help and in order for any city to grow and to prosper, everyone has to be involved. Everyone has to help. It's not one person, it's everybody. I hope that everyone will go out and vote on November 4. Open elections have started right now.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs: We have been talking with Devon Reese, she is a candidate for the Northwest district of the Hutchinson City Council. Thank you for your time this morning.&nbsp;Devon Reese: Have a have a great day. Thank you for having me.&nbsp;

🎧Election 2025: Devon Reese, candidate Northwest District Hutchinson City Council

🎧⚾ Jays take game 5 🏐HCC volleyball loses in four, Olivera named National Player of the Week

Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Councilman Greg Fast. Fast is running for re-election to the Southwest District of the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs: This morning we are visiting with council member Greg Fast. He is running for re-election in this Southwestern district. Good morning, sir.&nbsp;

Greg Fast: Good morning, Marc, thanks for having me this morning and and allowing me to speak.

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So thank you for taking time out of your busy day to come in and visit with us. Tell me a little bit about Greg Fast, those people who might be new to your district or might be new to town, and they're,&nbsp;going to, they're going to the polls that they may not know who you are.&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I'm a local business owner and a lifetime residence, except for a couple years, a lifetime resident of Hutchinson, married to my wife, Carly. Her main name was Madeline, so many people will know that name, but we have we're a blended family. We have six children and we have two dogs. The dogs are more of a problem than the children are. But anyway, very, very happy to represent the Southwest District of Hutchinson for the last four years, it's I'm constantly learning. I realized right after I was seated four years ago, how little I actually knew about city government. But I think, I think now the experience is so valuable in the relationships that I've fostered, but a little bit about myself. I own a lawn service. I own property, commercial property, and then and then I own, also own some storage buildings that are storage rentals, that you would store your overflow or your stuff and but the main driver for me has been a lawn care company that I've had for 30 years and started from one yard. And so I have that business mind, I suppose, and sometimes it gets me in trouble when we try to run a city like a business. So anyway, that's a little bit about me. &nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Starting off, how should Hutch look at attracting How should Hutch balance attracting new industries like renewable energy or advanced manufacturing while also trying to support small, locally owned businesses and downtown revitalization?&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I appreciate that question, Marc. I think that they all work in unison, and I think we as a city are in need of significant job growth and higher paying jobs. I feel like economic development is my strong point. I know that the small businesses will thrive if we have people here working and churning those dollars back in our city. I think anybody that knows me knows that I do live downtown. I develop two properties downtown, and I live upstairs in one of those. So downtown is very important to me, and I'm very proud of the fact that that you know, on the economic side, have been able to be a big part in luring ever G here for their their project. I might mention that's the single largest project that Hutchinson has ever landed, and we're going to start turning dirt soon on that. &nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So all right, this one kind of goes hand in hand with the previous question. But what specific steps could the city take, or would you take to address Hutchinson's housing shortest, particularly affordable and workforce housing. How would, how should the city partner with nonprofits and developers to attain that?&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think that if anybody watches the council meeting, you could, you could watch last, last week's meeting, and know that we are, we've done a private public partnership, where the city bought some land, specifically 11 acres and we're partnering with a company out of Manhattan to develop 30 homes on that land. And we put out a an RFP for that work, a request for proposals. We we got one from them that that request was good for our local developers. Anybody that wanted to participate could give us a proposal. And I think that is one of the things that we're doing as a city to try to solve our housing issues. I think the the Community Foundation is trying to help by putting some money in, in to that, that housing initiative, to try to help people get into those homes, but, but I think that that this is where the experience comes into play. And you know, the track record of what we as a council have done, you know, over the last. Four years, and we know there's a housing shortage based on the data that we're seeing, and we're trying to fix it. And so that, that is one thing. I don't remember exactly the second part of your question, but, but I do think that that we do have good developers here in town, Dave friends building houses still, and Jim Strawn, we helped him with an Rh ID out out on 43rd street. So we're trying to address it. Marc, it's always slower than we would like, but we are.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Hutchinson faces aging infrastructure and limited budgets. How do you, how does the council, how would you prioritize spending on roads, water system, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, once again, if you watch the last the very last Council meeting, we're addressing some of these infrastructure problems. We know that some of our infrastructure has been let go long before I arrived on the scene four years ago, and we're making headway to fix our roads, our water service, our storm water, our RO plant out south of town, needs, or excuse me not, our RO plant, our wastewater treatment facility south of town, needs millions of dollars of work out there, and we are addressing that. We are addressing that with some increasing water rates. Again, I would encourage people to get involved by watching these city council meetings. We had a whole presentation on water rates and sewer rates, for example. And you know, when I look at all this data, I look at it, the charts and all of that, but, but I want to be sure that we're, we're treating people fairly with the proper rates, the proper taxes, all of those things. And if, if people will get involved and find that information, they'll find that we are one of the lowest cost water services in in the state and comparable cities, same way with storm water, our wastewater treatment charges, they are, they are super low. So we are addressing those. I you know, my editorial comment about roads is, I think we have pretty good roads here in Hutch, and we, we work hard to keep those and I think, I think that every eight years, every road gets touched, I feel like we're doing a pretty good job with that. As far as public safety, that's very important, and our fire and police are now fully staffed. I know that the current Council has really taken it serious pay and benefits and trying to attract people to those positions. We were losing firefighters to Wichita. We had a police shortage there for a while, but both of those departments are fully staffed, or almost fully staffed, and I feel like we've made a real difference in making Hutchison the best employer around again, those, those are really what we should be doing as a city, streets, infrastructure, you know, public works and public safety. So anyway, hopefully people are noticing that we're taking that stuff, that role as a city very, you know, very seriously, and that that's what we should be doing.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one comes up from time to time, and people ask me about it, but what role should the city of Hutch play in supporting parks and arts and community events? And how can the city make these amenities, anemones, more available to residents?&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think, I think we have many parks and many, many amenities at the city. We can always, you know, always do better to improve, to improve our parks. I would mention that a lot of people don't realize this, but the city of Hutch has an accredited Zoo, and for a town our size, that's very, very rare for us to actually have an accredited Zoo. So we have a lot of things that people can do and participate in. You know. Many, many community events. If you can't find something to do in Hutchison, it seems to me, you're not looking very hard. We have festivals such as Smallville. I mean, we closed down our entire downtown, you know, a couple weeks ago for the rod run. I mean, this is a regional event where people come in and I just, you know, I love our town, and I feel like, I feel like there's plenty to do. I feel like our parks are there, you know, we're, we're again, just at last week's council meeting, we're putting $150,000 came in just a little bit below the budgeted amount to put in a park and have some&nbsp;play equipment put in at the fairgrounds Park. And we use the data we know which parks are getting used the most. That is one that is in need of some improvements, and we're improving that. We were improving some, some pickleball courts. All of those things are important to make the make the city run and make people happy and attractive.&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, we have about a minute and a half left one last question, fiscal responsibility and transparency. How can you ensure, as a council member that taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently and that residents have a clear understanding of how those decisions are made at City Hall.&nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think people have to get involved and have to ask questions. I like it when people ask me questions, and I I'm a very fiscally conservative business owner. I've had to be in the years I've been in business and I think that that we try to do that as a city, and we're getting back to our core functions, I will say, I told this story when, when I was asked about this in an earlier event. You know, I make connections with people. Made a connection with somebody from the EPA. We're, we're spending, we were spending over a half a million dollars a year pumping water into remediation wells out south of town. You know, with that connection, you know, Enrico and I met this person, we've saved the city $200 - $250,000 a year by asking questions. And those are efficiencies that we're continuing to do. We do things like when we when we fix a street, we go from the middle of the street all the way to the sidewalk. That's efficiency, and hopefully the residents can see that we're trying to be efficient and trying to manage their dollars. &nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right. I thank you for all right. I thank you for coming in this morning. Any closing any parting words you want to give me? You got about 45 seconds to a minute? &nbsp;

Greg Fast:&nbsp;No, I would just encourage people to get out and vote. I want them to also really do a little research on who they're voting for and I would appreciate your vote again for another four years. I can't serve any longer than two terms, so I will be done in four years, but hopefully folks appreciate the direction that the current Council has taken the city. Lot of good things ahead for Hutchison,&nbsp;

Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Thank you, sir. We've been talking with Councilman Greg Fast. He is up for re-election in the Southwest District. Get out and vote. Election day is next Tuesday on November 4. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747092483078.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Ed. Note: Below is the transcript of the interview with Councilman Greg Fast. Fast is running for re-election to the Southwest District of the Hutchinson City Council.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs: This morning we are visiting with council member Greg Fast. He is running for re-election in this Southwestern district. Good morning, sir.&nbsp;Greg Fast: Good morning, Marc, thanks for having me this morning and and allowing me to speak.Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So thank you for taking time out of your busy day to come in and visit with us. Tell me a little bit about Greg Fast, those people who might be new to your district or might be new to town, and they're,&nbsp;going to, they're going to the polls that they may not know who you are.&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I'm a local business owner and a lifetime residence, except for a couple years, a lifetime resident of Hutchinson, married to my wife, Carly. Her main name was Madeline, so many people will know that name, but we have we're a blended family. We have six children and we have two dogs. The dogs are more of a problem than the children are. But anyway, very, very happy to represent the Southwest District of Hutchinson for the last four years, it's I'm constantly learning. I realized right after I was seated four years ago, how little I actually knew about city government. But I think, I think now the experience is so valuable in the relationships that I've fostered, but a little bit about myself. I own a lawn service. I own property, commercial property, and then and then I own, also own some storage buildings that are storage rentals, that you would store your overflow or your stuff and but the main driver for me has been a lawn care company that I've had for 30 years and started from one yard. And so I have that business mind, I suppose, and sometimes it gets me in trouble when we try to run a city like a business. So anyway, that's a little bit about me. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671659689133.jpeg" alt="Greg Fast (Courtesy photo)" />
 <figcaption>Greg Fast (Courtesy photo)</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Greg Fast - Southwest District, Hutchinson City Council" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=f4qcu-19a9a2b-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Starting off, how should Hutch look at attracting How should Hutch balance attracting new industries like renewable energy or advanced manufacturing while also trying to support small, locally owned businesses and downtown revitalization?&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I appreciate that question, Marc. I think that they all work in unison, and I think we as a city are in need of significant job growth and higher paying jobs. I feel like economic development is my strong point. I know that the small businesses will thrive if we have people here working and churning those dollars back in our city. I think anybody that knows me knows that I do live downtown. I develop two properties downtown, and I live upstairs in one of those. So downtown is very important to me, and I'm very proud of the fact that that you know, on the economic side, have been able to be a big part in luring ever G here for their their project. I might mention that's the single largest project that Hutchinson has ever landed, and we're going to start turning dirt soon on that. &nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;So all right, this one kind of goes hand in hand with the previous question. But what specific steps could the city take, or would you take to address Hutchinson's housing shortest, particularly affordable and workforce housing. How would, how should the city partner with nonprofits and developers to attain that?&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think that if anybody watches the council meeting, you could, you could watch last, last week's meeting, and know that we are, we've done a private public partnership, where the city bought some land, specifically 11 acres and we're partnering with a company out of Manhattan to develop 30 homes on that land. And we put out a an RFP for that work, a request for proposals. We we got one from them that that request was good for our local developers. Anybody that wanted to participate could give us a proposal. And I think that is one of the things that we're doing as a city to try to solve our housing issues. I think the the Community Foundation is trying to help by putting some money in, in to that, that housing initiative, to try to help people get into those homes, but, but I think that that this is where the experience comes into play. And you know, the track record of what we as a council have done, you know, over the last. Four years, and we know there's a housing shortage based on the data that we're seeing, and we're trying to fix it. And so that, that is one thing. I don't remember exactly the second part of your question, but, but I do think that that we do have good developers here in town, Dave friends building houses still, and Jim Strawn, we helped him with an Rh ID out out on 43rd street. So we're trying to address it. Marc, it's always slower than we would like, but we are.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Hutchinson faces aging infrastructure and limited budgets. How do you, how does the council, how would you prioritize spending on roads, water system, public safety and other core services?&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, once again, if you watch the last the very last Council meeting, we're addressing some of these infrastructure problems. We know that some of our infrastructure has been let go long before I arrived on the scene four years ago, and we're making headway to fix our roads, our water service, our storm water, our RO plant out south of town, needs, or excuse me not, our RO plant, our wastewater treatment facility south of town, needs millions of dollars of work out there, and we are addressing that. We are addressing that with some increasing water rates. Again, I would encourage people to get involved by watching these city council meetings. We had a whole presentation on water rates and sewer rates, for example. And you know, when I look at all this data, I look at it, the charts and all of that, but, but I want to be sure that we're, we're treating people fairly with the proper rates, the proper taxes, all of those things. And if, if people will get involved and find that information, they'll find that we are one of the lowest cost water services in in the state and comparable cities, same way with storm water, our wastewater treatment charges, they are, they are super low. So we are addressing those. I you know, my editorial comment about roads is, I think we have pretty good roads here in Hutch, and we, we work hard to keep those and I think, I think that every eight years, every road gets touched, I feel like we're doing a pretty good job with that. As far as public safety, that's very important, and our fire and police are now fully staffed. I know that the current Council has really taken it serious pay and benefits and trying to attract people to those positions. We were losing firefighters to Wichita. We had a police shortage there for a while, but both of those departments are fully staffed, or almost fully staffed, and I feel like we've made a real difference in making Hutchison the best employer around again, those, those are really what we should be doing as a city, streets, infrastructure, you know, public works and public safety. So anyway, hopefully people are noticing that we're taking that stuff, that role as a city very, you know, very seriously, and that that's what we should be doing.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;This one comes up from time to time, and people ask me about it, but what role should the city of Hutch play in supporting parks and arts and community events? And how can the city make these amenities, anemones, more available to residents?&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think, I think we have many parks and many, many amenities at the city. We can always, you know, always do better to improve, to improve our parks. I would mention that a lot of people don't realize this, but the city of Hutch has an accredited Zoo, and for a town our size, that's very, very rare for us to actually have an accredited Zoo. So we have a lot of things that people can do and participate in. You know. Many, many community events. If you can't find something to do in Hutchison, it seems to me, you're not looking very hard. We have festivals such as Smallville. I mean, we closed down our entire downtown, you know, a couple weeks ago for the rod run. I mean, this is a regional event where people come in and I just, you know, I love our town, and I feel like, I feel like there's plenty to do. I feel like our parks are there, you know, we're, we're again, just at last week's council meeting, we're putting $150,000 came in just a little bit below the budgeted amount to put in a park and have some&nbsp;play equipment put in at the fairgrounds Park. And we use the data we know which parks are getting used the most. That is one that is in need of some improvements, and we're improving that. We were improving some, some pickleball courts. All of those things are important to make the make the city run and make people happy and attractive.&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right, we have about a minute and a half left one last question, fiscal responsibility and transparency. How can you ensure, as a council member that taxpayer dollars are being spent efficiently and that residents have a clear understanding of how those decisions are made at City Hall.&nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;Well, I think people have to get involved and have to ask questions. I like it when people ask me questions, and I I'm a very fiscally conservative business owner. I've had to be in the years I've been in business and I think that that we try to do that as a city, and we're getting back to our core functions, I will say, I told this story when, when I was asked about this in an earlier event. You know, I make connections with people. Made a connection with somebody from the EPA. We're, we're spending, we were spending over a half a million dollars a year pumping water into remediation wells out south of town. You know, with that connection, you know, Enrico and I met this person, we've saved the city $200 - $250,000 a year by asking questions. And those are efficiencies that we're continuing to do. We do things like when we when we fix a street, we go from the middle of the street all the way to the sidewalk. That's efficiency, and hopefully the residents can see that we're trying to be efficient and trying to manage their dollars. &nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;All right. I thank you for all right. I thank you for coming in this morning. Any closing any parting words you want to give me? You got about 45 seconds to a minute? &nbsp;Greg Fast:&nbsp;No, I would just encourage people to get out and vote. I want them to also really do a little research on who they're voting for and I would appreciate your vote again for another four years. I can't serve any longer than two terms, so I will be done in four years, but hopefully folks appreciate the direction that the current Council has taken the city. Lot of good things ahead for Hutchison,&nbsp;Marc Jacobs:&nbsp;Thank you, sir. We've been talking with Councilman Greg Fast. He is up for re-election in the Southwest District. Get out and vote. Election day is next Tuesday on November 4. &nbsp;

🎧 Election 2025:  Greg Fast, candidate Southwest District Hutchinson City Council

🎧🏈👟🏐 HutchCC claims 5 KJCCC weekly honors; ⚽ Boys soccer regional results from Tuesday

Jenna Fager the Reno County Clerk stopped by to visit about the upcoming election.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761658715797.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Jenna Fager the Reno County Clerk stopped by to visit about the upcoming election.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Jenna Fager - Reno County Clerk" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=nn2ar-19a7dce-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Jenna Fager, Reno County Clerk

Joe Godina from Trinity Jr/Sr High School stopped by to visit about happenings at the school.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761658533968.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Joe Godina from Trinity Jr/Sr High School stopped by to visit about happenings at the school.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Joe Godina - Trinity Jr./Sr. High School" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=vubzv-19a7de1-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Joe Godina, Trinity Jr./Sr. High School 

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Denny Stoecklein from HutchCC was in to visit about Joel Goldberg's lecture as part of the Dillon Lecture Series at HutchCC.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761570220600.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Denny Stoecklein from HutchCC was in to visit about Joel Goldberg's lecture as part of the Dillon Lecture Series at HutchCC.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Denny Stoecklein - HutchCC" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=snqea-19a597d-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Denny Stoecklein, HutchCC 

Lt. Wes Vaugh from the Hutchinson Police Department stopped by to talk about Halloween safety.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761570111951.jpeg" alt="Lt. Wes Vaughn, Hutchinson Police Department " />
 <figcaption>Lt. Wes Vaughn, Hutchinson Police Department </figcaption>
 </figure>Lt. Wes Vaugh from the Hutchinson Police Department stopped by to talk about Halloween safety.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Lt. Wes Vaughn, Hutchinson Police Department" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=kwewy-19a5975-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=auto&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: Lt. Wes Vaughn, Hutchinson Police Department 

🎧🏈 Blue Dragon Rewind: No. 1 HutchCC vs. No. 10 Coffeyville

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