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Lifelong Independence resident Jim Engelman will be sworn in Monday night as the new District 2 Independence City Council member. Engelman, 66, has lived in District 2 for about 25 years and is retired. He fills the seat left vacant by the death of Will Swoffer in June.
| 1 Why did you start attending City Council meetings regularly more than a year ago, and why did you want to serve the citizens of Independence? |
A friend of mine mentioned that there might be a chance that (Swoffer) wouldn’t be able to complete his term and that the council would be interested who might step forward, might attend the meetings and show an interest in understanding how the city functions, what the meetings are about and what takes place. Since I was getting ready to retire, I thought, “You know, the city’s been good to me,” and because of my background, I decided to attend some of the meetings. The city clerk mentioned the opportunities available through the citizen advisory boards, and I served on the Personnel Board for about seven months. I think those boards are a key function of good government, especially for Independence. It gets the citizens involved and kind of takes the bureaucratic element out of it. |
| 2 How do you plan to communicate and stay in contact with your constituents? Have you heard any feedback from the residents of District 2 already? |
I have from a few people, and they’ve been very positive. Of course, it’s been mostly “congratulations,” but they realize that even though I’m more up to speed than someone who’s going in cold, there is more information that’s forthcoming. When you go to council meetings, you kind of see the tip of the iceberg. If you have any questions, you can ask anyone on the council or city staff, and you’ll get an answer that’s pretty forthcoming and straightforward. That’s the way that I’m going to try to represent my district, as well as the city of Independence: with total transparency and the best that I can. |
| 3 What are the biggest issues facing northeast Independence, and can you think of any possible solutions for them? |
We are a very geographic district. We have a lot of rural area, and there are some things that I’ve already mentioned to (City Manager Robert Heacock), and we’re in the process of working some of those out. Until I get some further feedback from people of the district, we’re just going to try to get our feet a little bit more on the ground on how the process works and what are the proper channels. |
| 4 Based on your professional and personal backgrounds, what kind of expertise do you think you bring to the council? |
I was a union pipefitter/welder for 18 years. I was secretary and treasurer of my local union, and I was very union-oriented and still am. I have a strong belief in union principles. I also had my own business for about six years in home repairs and remodeling and different things. That brought me in contact with the public in a positive way, and eventually, I decided to get out of that for health reasons, and I went into retail. I worked as a department head at Hobby Lobby in Blue Springs for 19 1/2 years. I’ve got a good background as far as dealing with people and understanding different personalities. I like the phrase, “Is it good for the children?” My feeling is, “Is it good for the citizens of Independence?” |
| 5 What are several key points/lasting lessons you’ve taken away in observing the City Council meetings? |
The city staff have treated me very professionally and with great sincerity. I really appreciate that. They are a professional group of people, and the neat thing that I have found is that most of them enjoy their work and find great joy in serving the citizens of Independence. |
