What do you think you can bring to the town council?

Experience. I’ve been on there a long time, and I know how things work pretty well. We’ve got to go after grants, and that’s one of the big things because we’re a small town and we don’t have a lot of money.

What’s the most pressing issue facing the town at this time, and how do you plan to address it?

Stormwater and the water situation. We’re working on that now. Right now, we’re trying to get a grant for it. We have put in for it with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and we’ve got a good shot at getting it. Not many people in this town drink this water. About everybody buys water, and I’ve been going around with those green papers to get them filled out. They say it’s time to get something done.

What should the town do to position itself for growth and development?

A small town like this, everybody works out of town, like Seymour or Brownstown. Most people trade before they get back to town. That’s the thing right there. We have tried to get a dollar store, but they are not  interested. It’s too small. Freetown is a different story. Everybody says, “Freetown got one.” They’ve got a lot more people in the surrounding area. Here, you don’t have that. We have started several businesses here, but it doesn’t last long. People don’t patronize, and if they don’t patronize them, they aren’t going to stay here.

How would you help the council be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money?

We try to do what we need to get done first. That’s what we try to do. It’s like we worked on two bridges this year and got two bridges done. That helps a lot, but there’s not a whole lot of taxpayer money when you figure you’ve got to keep everything going with the water company and all of that stuff. It takes a lot of money.”

Davers file

Name: Jim Davers

Age: 82

Party: Republican

Occupation: Retired