By Channing Shilling
Two candidates are running for a seat on Buena Vista’s City Council. Here’s a look at where they stand on issues and challenges facing the city.
Stanley Coffey
Coffey, 71, worked for 16 years at the Buena Vista wastewater treatment plant. He was elected to the city council in 2016 and served for six years. Last year, Coffey lost the election by 22 votes.
“I’m not a politician. I’m a hometown boy. I’m all about the citizens and the city itself,” Coffey said. “I enjoyed being on city council and I want to finish the things I started.”
During his time on the city council, Coffey pushed for a new playground and more campsites. This year, his priorities are different.
The city needs to overhaul its wastewater plant, which will cost $22 million. “That is a major operation, and we need to take care of it.”
If elected, Coffey also wants to beef up the city’s economic development by being “out in the field” to get bigger industries to come to Buena Vista.
Jody Fix
Fix, 61, worked at Davita Dialysis in Lexington as an administrative assistant and lab tech for 25 years and retired last year. Her husband, Fred Fix Jr., worked in city management before he died four years ago. She said his love and knowledge of the community inspired her to run for city council.
“Buena Vista is growing really rapidly,” Fix said. “And I wanted to be part of the growth.”
Fix hopes to bring a set of “fresh eyes” to the council and bring more attention to Buena Vista’s youth. Fix wants to see a “government day,” where local high school students shadow city employees. She hopes that more contact with students will instill a sense of community pride and engagement.
“They’re going to be the future citizens, the future leaders and the future city council members,” Fix said.
Another priority: renovating abandoned houses.
“I would like to see the city reach out to those landowners and say, ‘you need to bring this up to par where it’s not an eye sore’,” she said.
Buena Vista Mayor Tyson Cooper said he hopes the next city council member “can speak with candor, respect, and kindness” and “can listen to others’ thoughts and viewpoints”.
The city council is currently working on a strategic plan to set priorities. Cooper hopes the plan will be completed this year, and that the newly elected city council member will “get out in front of people, their friends, their family, their neighbors” to help “rally support and effort to move forward” with the strategic plan.
“The idea of a council is that we work together,” Cooper said. “We each share our viewpoints in a productive and respectful way with the hope that by sharing our different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives we’ll arrive at the best decision for our city now and into the future.”