Sapp, Klippel face off in city election

Incumbent Fred Klippel says that his health has turned around and he is ready to run and serve for a third term as Ashland’s Ward 3 Alderman.

Jeff Sapp, a member of the Ashland Planning and Zoning board, said that when Klippel’s health made his say he would not run – he was ready to serve and signed up for the election.

“Honestly, if I win this race – wonderful,” Sapp said. “But if he (Klippel) wins, that’s wonderful, too.”

Klippel would agree.

In a low-key race, there are few difference between the two pragmatic and plain-spoken candidates.

Klippel: “I think our biggest challenge is managing our growth,” the incumbent said. “We need to finish up the projects we started – a new sewer plant, downtown beautification and new sidewalks – as well as look to the future.” Klippel noted that there is the potential for a parks tax on the fall ballot for Ashland residents.

“The general fund is paying or the park and a small tax would help fund projects and take care of maintaining the park.” Sapp says he thinks keeping the city’s infrastructure up to date with the city’s growth is critical for Ashland’s future.

“One of the biggest challenges I see is the city’s roadways,” Sapp said. “Ashland is growing at an astonishing rate and we need to continue to improve our roads and especially our access to Highway 63.”

Sapp also noted that besides development at the airport, he would like to see more small businesses recruited to Ashland. “Not just stores, but also some more restaurants,” Sapp said, “the ones we have are wonderful, but I think we could support more retail, service businesses and restaurants.”

Both candidates agreed that as the City of Ashland grows, the Board of Aldermen will need to fund and expand the police department as well as the maintenance department. Both candidates advocated for the City to move forward in attracting new sewer customers in order to keep water/sewer costs down for residents.