Sheidy, Ellison ready to help Andrews move forward

    Andrews – This year’s voter turnout mirrored expectations, and the newly elected officials hope to increase civic engagement in time for the next municipal election.
    Mike Sheidy and Jonathan Ellison were the top two vote-getters in the Nov. 5 election, which was the result of a 2015 resolution that amended the town’s charter by staggering the terms of elected officials. Sheidy and Ellison take the oath of office Tuesday, Dec. 10, and will each serve a four-year term on the Andrews Board of Aldermen.
    Sheidy, who was elected to a two-year term in 2017, received the most votes this year with 95 town residents deciding that he should retain his seat. Ellison, who served as an alternate on the Andrews Planning & Zoning Board, received 92 votes. He will have to leave the planning board.
    Jim Bristol, Randy Hogsed and Ronald Clontz received 57, 36 and 36 votes each, respectively.
    With only 17 percent of registered voters casting a ballot, the newly elected lawmakers believe town leaders could do more to increase civic engagement.
    “We need to take the ‘I didn’t know’ excuse off the table,” Ellison said. “We could’ve promoted it on the marquee at the community center, and we could’ve promoted it on Facebook a little better. The town could’ve also purchased its own ad in the newspaper to let people know there was an election.”
    Both Ellison and Sheidy acknowledged that community meetings revolving around crime prevention seem to attract a lot of people, including some who live outside the city limits. However, that same level of interest in town affairs does not seem to be there when it comes to monthly aldermen meetings or other gatherings that don’t include a controversial element.
    “The biggest interest in town is the crime,” Sheidy said. “Hopefully we can convince people to attend aldermen meetings to see [what government entails] and hear about some of the positive things that are happening.”
    In addition to increasing civic engagement, Sheidy and Ellison both said public safety and town infrastructure improvements will be areas of focus over the next four years.
    “I would like to see more housing in town, and I want to see us maximize the capacity of our sewer and water capabilities,” Ellison said. “If we can do that, there will be more revenue for the town. I want to give folks a reason to not only visit our town, but to set up shop and live in our town and surrounding areas outside city limits. We have to do more to make it an appealing place to be.”
    Sheidy echoed that.
    “Andrews will never be what it was in the 1950s and ’60s, but we can make it a place that people will come to visit, eat and enjoy outdoor beauty,” he said.