Who will fill the seats?: Gainesville mayor candidates


Gail Reich

Carroll Wise

These candidates are running  in contested races in county

The residents whose “profiles” appear on this page are running in Ozark County’s five contested races in the April 3 general municipal election. They are seeking seats on school boards in Bakersfield and Gainesville, village boards in Bakersfield and Theodosia, and the mayor’s race in Gainesville.
Seats are also expiring in other school and municipal boards (see related story, page 1), but candidates in those races are running unopposed, and state law allows government boards to bypass elections when the number of candidates and the number of vacancies is the same.
The Ozark County Times sent brief questionnaires to the candidates in the contested races, asking them to limit their responses to a total of 400 words. The questionnaires asked the candidates about their present employment, their skills and life experiences that qualify them for the positions they seek, the greatest challenges facing the organization they hope to represent, the goals they hope to accomplish if elected and any personal information they wanted to share.
The profiles have been edited to fit the newspaper’s format and, where possible, the edited drafts have been approved by the candidates.

Gainesville mayor candidates

Gail Reich
Current employment: I am the current mayor of Gainesville, and I am employed at the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office as the administrative assistant.
Skills and life experiences: I have managed budget and finance as well as day-to-day business at the sheriff’s office since 2000. I have been mayor of Gainesville for four years, and we now have a $2.45 million sewer project well underway. Everything is signed, and the contractor has been hired. We have made improvements to the city park, and after surviving a flood and then a fire, we have replaced our firehouse and fire department equipment.
Biggest challenge facing the city of Gainesville: We need to bring in new businesses and jobs.
What goals do you hope to accomplish? I would like to see the streets paved in the coming years. I will work with the city council in whatever they choose for our city.
Personal: I am the single mother of three grown children.

Carroll Wise
Current employment: I’m retired after raising my son as a single mom and also working for a while in the Ozark County Circuit Clerk and Recorder’s Office as a staff member responsible for recording deeds.
Skills and life experiences: I think I’m a good candidate for mayor because I’ve lived in Gainesville almost all of my life, and I care about our town. Gainesville is a wonderful place to raise your kids. I’ve seen a lot of changes through the years, and I can’t say enough good things about the people who live here – many of them my good friends and neighbors. I’ve seen them work together to create a strong community.
Biggest challenge facing the city of Gainesville: There are things that need to be taken care of, such as street and sidewalk repair. I’m a quick learner and will work to get the town’s needs taken care of. We need to watch our money but still get things done. The new waste-water treatment plant now in the works is a good thing for our town.
What goals do you hope to accomplish if you are elected? I would like to see about adding a walking trail and maybe a children’s playground at the property around Dr. Klayman’s office that the Klaymans recently donated to the city and possibly renting out the building for social gatherings. I will be a full-time, hands-on mayor, completely accessible to everyone. I will talk to people with questions, and if I don’t know the answer, I will find out. I want to be a mayor who makes a difference.
Personal information: I was born in the basement of Dr. Hoerman’s office in Gainesville and have lived here all but 11 years of my life. I raised my son, Brian, here since he was in first grade. He and his wife, Genette, and my three grandchildren live near me here in Gainesville.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423