BELOIT — Though still swamped with paperwork from the February presidential primary, Beloit City Clerk Carol Alexander said city workers are prepared for a busy spring election April 1.

“I think the city council race will be interesting,” Alexander said, noting there are six candidates for four seats, with only one incumbent seeking re-election.

Three incumbents are not seeking re-election. They are council President Terry Monahan, Doug Eddy and Joel Patch. This contrasts sharply with the 2006 council election, in which three incumbents ran unopposed.

Last week, Alexander’s office sent out some 300 absentee ballots, a figure she attributes to the candidacy of 19-year-old Beloit College student Adam Rankins, who is distributing ballots on campus.

“We anticipate a lot of absentee ballots for that race,” Alexander said.

Overall, she’s predicting a voter turnout of about 30 percent, which she considers high for a spring election.

The four candidates elected to the council will begin serving two-year terms April 15. Following are brief profiles of all six candidates:

Name: Sheila De Forest-Davis
Age: 39
Occupation: Teacher at Beloit Memorial High School
Challenger
Most important issues: Balancing economic development with quality-of-life services, holding council accountable. “One of the reasons I decided to run this year is that last year’s race was uncontested,” De Forest-Davis said. “It doesn’t offer any measure of accountability for the current council members.”

While she is in favor of development in Beloit, De Forest Davis said the way for the city to spur economic growth is by taking care of its citizens.

“While I’m in complete support of economic development and bringing in jobs, I feel we need to balance that,” she said. “We can spend a lot of money on infrastructure and making the city look pretty, but if the people here aren’t healthy … then employers aren’t going to want to come here. I think companies factor in the overall health and quality of the communities they consider relocating to.”

Name: Gregg Hatley
Age: 46
Occupation: Owner of the 615 Club
Challenger
Most important issues: Growth, citizen input.

“The continued growth of Beloit,” is Hatley’s principal concern, he said, along with making sure citizens are able to have a voice in the decision-making processes.

A priority, he said, is “to have more communication with city hall for citizens.” Hatley also is interested in the way city codes are enforced.

“Another concern I have is with code enforcement — residential and business codes,” he said.

Name: Charles Haynes
Age: 40
Occupation: Automotive mechanical claims adjuster, Zurich American Insurance
Challenger
Most important issues: Maintaining forward momentum with community development in the face of possible budget crunches, revitalizing older parts of the community.

“I think that what prompted me to run was to keep continuity and get momentum going in the community-development arena,” Haynes said. “I have a strong interest in redevelopment and improvements in older neighborhoods — that’s one of the issues I feel strongest about. These old neighborhoods have a lot of character.”

Upcoming budget constraints, he added, will force the council to be creative about spurring economic growth while also being fiscally responsible.

“We’re going to have to look for ways to be more efficient while still bringing in that economic development,” he said. “(It’s) making Beloit what we know it can be.”

Name: Eric Newnham
Age: 40
Occupation: Self-employed business owner (including Denali’s restaurant)
Challenger
Most important issues: Quality living-wage jobs. Newnham’s greatest concern is employment.

“My main platform is working to create greater employment opportunities for all,” Newnham said. “That’d be my No. 1 thing — jobs, jobs, jobs.” Newnham is worried about residents leaving Beloit, and hopes that improving the quality of life locally will attract new residents, while also convincing Beloiters to stay in town.

“We’ve made great strides, but there’s still more work to be done so we can maintain our family and friends. So many people move away.”

Such an approach, he said, will attract new businesses.

“The better the quality of life, the better chance these companies are going to want to move in here and invest millions of dollars and create jobs,” he said.

Name: Adam Rankins
Age: 19
Occupation: Beloit College student, Youth 2 Youth intern and server at Applebee’s
Challenger
Most important issues: Community cohesiveness. “The biggest issue that propelled me into running would probably be the gang violence and the stuff like that that’s going on in the city, and the rift between the young people and the city of Beloit,” Rankins said.

Creating a Beloit identity as “more of a community, rather than parts of the community” is one of his goals. Rankins also is concerned about recent gang activity in the area.

“It’s a large problem now, but I see it getting bigger if it’s not addressed,” he said. “I feel the root of all our problems stems … from this violence issue, and a disregard for the law.”

Name: James Van De Bogart
Age: 56
Occupation: Attorney
Incumbent; current vice president of the council
Most important issues: Fiscal responsibility, maintaining a level of professionalism at council meetings.

“I think the main issue is keeping an eye toward fiscal responsibility,” Van De Bogart said. “We’re going to have to deal with a 2 percent limit on the tax levy … there’s going to be tremendous pressures coming up in the fall. You could probably use 2 percent just to fix the roads.”

Budget shortfalls, he added, will have to be addressed with careful planning and leadership.

“There’s not going to be a lot of discretionary income, and it might come down to what we have to cut,” he said.

School board race
Two three-year terms are up for grabs on the Beloit School Board in the April 1 spring election. One seat is being vacated by Jeff Klett, president of the board, and the other belongs to Kimberly Thompson, who is running for re-election.

Superintendent Lowell Holtz said the three candidates seeking the seats are qualified, but have different views on various issues.

“All three are good people … it’s a good slate of candidates,” Holtz said. “(But) there are some clear choices between candidates.”

Following, the candidates explain why they’re running for the board:

Name: Therus “T.C.” Collins
Age: 38
Occupation: Office manager with De Long Co. in Clinton
Challenger
Most important issues: Parental involvement, school board teamwork. “I think being a team member on the board is important — being able to work problems out and be diplomatic,” Collins said. “I want to be a positive team member.”

Collins stressed the importance of parental involvement in education, and said “I think we need to continue on with some of the great programs we have going on now.” Achievement, he added, should “include every child.”

Name: Michael Ramsdail
Age: 24
Occupation: School service manager at Voigt Music
Challenger
Most important issues: School safety, improving truancy rates. “The most important thing for me is school safety,” Ramsdail said. “Now’s the time to make some advances and maintain what we’ve achieved in terms of school safety.”

Ramsdail believes that improving school safety will have a positive effect on truancy rates.

“I think the two go hand in hand,” he said. “If we continue to make schools a safe place and a peaceful place, students are going to want to come.”

Ramsdail touted his youth as a key qualification.

“I just feel, as someone who’s recently a graduate, (that) I can bring a perspective to the table to remind us who we’re shaping policy for,” he said.

Name: Kimberly Thompson
Age: 47
Occupation: Sales and marketing; pursuing bachelor’s degree in business forensics
Incumbent
Most important issues: Retaining quality educators, aging district buildings. Thompson believes that education directly affects a community’s economy.

She said she has a “passion for education, and an appreciation for how our schools have an impact in the community, including economic development.”

Thompson said her experience will be important in guiding the district through a possible search for superintendent or enacting budget cuts.

“A facilities study is under way, and the board will need to make some serious decisions in the near future that may be highly charged,” she said. “I know how to make those tough and painful decisions.”