First-time candidate Jonathan McClain seeks fresh perspective in mayoral race
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Jonathan McClain is running for mayor for the first time, seeking to bring a fresh, young perspective to St. Joseph.
McClain was born and raised in St. Joseph. While growing up, he was always involved in the community and participated in theater. He remains involved in the community as the owner of Jon McClain Music, operating under the name "DJ Diehard," and as the creator of the Bluffwoods Renaissance Festival.
McClain said he is running for mayor because he loves St. Joseph and the people.
“I’m running for mayor because I think I can make a genuine difference. I don't serve any special interests. I don’t have any corporate affiliations,” McClain said. “I'm literally just a citizen that believes that St. Joseph's best days are still in front of us, but only if we change our approach."
McClain said he feels he brings a more youthful energy compared to the other candidates.
“I'm not afraid to go against the statement; this is how we've always done it. I look for differences for improvements. I'm an innovator by nature,” he said. “I'm a student of the mind. I love learning, and I would be excited to get in there to learn new things, to find new ways in which we can make this city better.”
McClain said that through his vision for the city, he aims to change the perspective of St. Joseph residents, so they can see the amazing culture the city has to offer.
“We live in a great city. We just don't talk about the positive enough. I would like to create an entire social media campaign talking about the great things that happen in our city. I want to change the perspective of the town so everyone can see what I see,” he said.
McClain put emphasis on sharing and embracing the different events, musicians and overall culture of St. Joseph.
If elected, McClain said his top three priorities would boil down to community unity, modernizing City Hall and keeping working city initiatives, while correcting the ones that need correcting.
“I spoke early, the media campaign, but that includes transparency of government. No closed-door sessions, we need to be very deliberate and letting the people know what the council is talking about. We need to talk more about the positive things that we do,” McClain said.
The candidate also mentioned looking at changes to the City's budget, making note of sewer bills and other expenses that pose a burden to residents.
McClain backed the idea of the City giving fiscal responsibility to each of its department heads, but wants to look at how the initiative can be improved.
"It's taking, looking and working with those heads and saying, 'Okay, what can we make more efficiently here? What worked? What didn't work? What do we need to change?' And instead of from the head down, making announcements to say this is what you need to do, you listen to what the department says you need to do. The people that are boots on the ground know what's happening, and you make decisions based off their information," McClain said.
McClain also discussed pursuing economic growth in St. Joseph to help both small and large businesses, which in turn can help the city in the long run.
"I'm a huge fan of initiatives like that to help not only small business owners, but to help the large businesses grow in our community," he said. "Whether that is incentives and whatnot, because then we have more business here. We have more jobs here, we have more wealth for the people, it's part of the identity for our city. It is very important."
In creating more jobs, working on budgets and more, McClain addressed the effects of St. Joseph's population decline.
“We have the job growth. We have a lot of positive things here, but we can't keep people. That means the citizens do not want to live here. That is a big deal. When you have a population declining, you have tax dollars going down. When you have tax dollars going down, you have to cut more amenities. When you cut more amenities, people don't live here,” McClain said. “We are on the edge of possibly a point of no return if we continue on the path we are on. Within the next ten years, we may not be able to turn the ship around. I think it's very important that we make some major changes now and promote the fact that it is a great place to raise a family.”
With infrastructure improvement, McClain highlighted utilizing new technologies to help with St. Joseph's roads.
"I know there's some really interesting technologies and software out there that we test and try to use to make road repairs last longer," McClain said. "Being in the Midwest, it's very difficult because we have all four seasons, so when you have a crack in the road, you get the water, you get the ice anbd it makes the crack bigger."
McClain expressed safety as a concern and a top priority for the City. He suggested increased collaborative efforts with both the fire and police departments.
"That involves working with the police chief and with the fire chief and with the department, and seeing what they need in order to do their job best. It's not a competition. We're not trying to say the government has more power or the police have more power," McClain said. "We are a team designed to serve the entire community, and I am almost always in support of initiatives that help those men and women serving us in some of the most dangerous jobs there are, providing for us."
McClain urged for more transparency, especially between the City and St. Joseph residents.
"I'm not a fan of closed-door sessions. Unless it absolutely requires it for some type of identity safe or something like that. I think that after a council session is had, then we should give the condensed version to the public," he said. "I think we need to be very, very direct in communicating with the people about what we want to do and where we're going."
The primary election will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3. McClain is running against St. Joseph mayoral incumbent, John Josendale and candidates Larry Miller and Ken Reeder.
