Benjamin D. Boutwell

November 5, 2018

The following is a response to a candidate questionnaire sent to all four candidates for two seats on the Century Town Council. Responses have not been edited.

Candidate: Benjamin D. Boutwell

  • Current occupation: DoD USAF Retired – Asst Baseball Coach Coastal Alabama
  • Previous occupations: DoD USAF Civil Service
  • Civic, church and other community involvement? Lions Club; Escambia County Community Action Board Member; President Century Community Redevelopment Agency
  • Education: 3+ years college
  • Previous offices held, previously sought: Century Town Council Seat 3; Competed for Mayor 2016
  • Why are you running for Century Town Council? To effect a positive change both economically and culturally in our Town.
  • What makes you the most qualified candidate for a town council seat? My military career taught me the invaluable skills of leadership, supervision and communication. All of these are vital when serving the community.
  • What are the three most important issues facing the Century Town Council? Getting our Gas Dept in a fiscally sound position. Put our community in a position to entice new business growth. Nurture a community mentality.
  • Do you support Home Rule? Yes
  • Do you support the provisions of the Sunshine Law? Should Century’s government become more transparent; and, if so, how? All forms of government must be transparent to ensure the support and trust of the citizens. As an elected official, I work FOR the citizens of Century.
  • How can the Town of Century solve current town government financial issues? What do you see as the biggest issue?  Of course our Gas Department. Due to a lack of effective metering, we have not been able to properly track usage nor bill properly, leading to a significant deficit.
  • Are there any ordinances/regulations in Century you would like to see added?  Our town Charter is in dire need of being reviewed and updated in the immediate future and on a semi-annual basis afterwards.
  • Are there any additional ordinances/regulations in Century you would like to see eliminated? N/A
  • How can Century better work with the county and state? By becoming more active in County led initiatives that directly impact Century. By being a positive presence to spread the word about our town and its needs.
  • Are there are services Century should consolidate with the county? Escambia County provides us with Police, Fire Dept and other services that are financially not feasible for us to assume. All others should stay the Towns responsibility.
  • How does Century attract additional businesses and/or jobs?  ow does Century work to support/grow additional businesses Cleaning up our town, presenting a positive environment that appeals to the over 10,000 cars that travel Hwy 29 daily; aggressively advertise our Industrial Park properties.  I’m of the opinion we don’t do enough. We need an aggressive Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Committee working with County resources to promote our town.
  • What should Century do about the vacant Alger-Sullivan property? How? There are numerous environmental issues associated with this property that must be addressed before any advancements can be made.
  • What should be done with the “Helicopter Technology” building in the Industrial Park? It needs to be brought to code ASAP. We always have interests expressed in leasing the building, but by brining it to code it will make it more appealing to those businesses.
  • How does Century solve the gas department financial issues? Due to a lack of effective metering, we have not been able to properly track usage nor bill properly. The problems have been identified and are currently being rectified.
  • What changes, if any, should be made to the Town Charter? Our town Charter is in dire need of being reviewed and updated in the immediate future and on a semi-annual basis afterwards.
  • How does Century improve its public image? Century citizens MUST become leaders in our community. Each of us MUST be a direct reflection of the image we want others to see in this town. The more positive we bring into our lives and our neighborhoods, the more likely we are to weed out the negative.
  • Summarize your four year term of office plan for Century: I have continually worked to clean up Our Town through community and personal efforts. As President of the Community Redevelopment Agency, I am aggressively working with our Town Planner and County and State representatives to pursue positive growth. I will continue to promote our Town. Its time to make forward progress.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under General