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Newcomer Rose wants to improve city
Jack Rose sits in his on-campus office and prepares lesson plans and reviews paperwork for the city.
Tuesday marked the deadline to file candidacy for the office of mayor in Murray.
Jack Rose, professor in the department of educational studies, is the only candidate challenging incumbent Mayor Bill Wells in the election.
Rose has been involved in the Murray community for several years. He has seen 23 total years of employment at Murray State and is set to retire in July.
With the responsibilities of professorship behind him, Rose feels he will be able to focus all his energy into the role of mayor.
“When I made the decision to retire, it gave me more time to look at the race for mayor,” Rose said. “I want to focus entirely on improving Murray.”
Rose said despite Murray’s many advances, he thinks there is room for improvement.
“There is a lot of revenue going into the city,” he said. “But the residents and business owners of Murray who have talked to me aren’t satisfied with business operations in Murray. I think I can help current business owners and prospective business owners succeed.”
Although initially reluctant to run, Rose said he feels he has the knowledge and experience to capitalize on these improvements.
“These folks are interested in good, quality government,” he said. “I think I can provide the leadership that will take Murray in the right direction.”
Rose said that although he is retiring from Murray State, in the event that he is elected as mayor, his door will still be open to students.
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Incumbent Wells seeks 2nd term
Mayor Bill Wells sits in his office earlier this week organizing paperwork for his next meeting.
Mayor Bill Wells is eager to potentially take up office for a second term.
Students who have attended Murray State since 2011, understand the city has changed in a short amount of time. January 1, 2011 marked the date current Mayor Bill Wells first took office. This year, Wells will look to be re-elected to build on the work he has done during his first term in office.
He served on the Murray City Council for 20 years before seeking the opportunity to become mayor of Murray.
Wells has also held other positions in the Murray community, such as principal of Murray High School and president of the Murray Rotary Club.
Wells’ first term has been marked by his personal involvement in the Murray community. Wells has focused on creating a better environment for Murray residents to live in.
“It is important to make sure that the city, the county and the University get along well together,” Wells said. “If you have what is best for the citizens of Calloway County and the students in mind, we will be in good shape. That is really important to me.”
Two instances Wells is most proud of occurred on July, 17 2012.
The first event was Murray being named the friendliest town in the U.S. The second event was the lifting of the ordinance that banned packaged liquor from being sold in Murray.
Wells said that regulation of the alcohol has been tricky, but is happy with the transition from a dry city to a wet city. Murray has seen many economic benefits since the implementation of the new liquor law.
Wells wants to use the revenue gained from the new liquor law on projects that will improve the Murray Community.
Another change that has directly affected students which Wells has seen while in office is the implementation of city stickers for students.
“You’ve got to understand that we don’t have a payroll tax,” Wells said. “We thought rather than have a payroll tax, implementing a $35 city sticker would be less of a pain for students to deal with financially.”
Since Wells has been in office, four miles of sidewalk have been installed in Murray, which accrued costs nearing ?$1 million. There are also plans for the installation of a Marriott hotel in Murray.
This project will bring 100 construction jobs to the city of Murray, plus the opportunities provided by the completion of the waste water treatment plant. Wells hopes to see the completion of this project while in office.
“We have a lot of positive things going on,” Wells said. “It is a big motivation for me to run for Mayor again.”
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Story by Alex McLaughlin, Staff writer
