Video Interview with Terry Seitz, Jasper Republican candidate for mayor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1ACNQ9LT2M

In a recent interview with Mr. Terry Seitz, Dubois County Free Press had a chance to ask the Republican candidate for mayor of Jasper a few questions about his both his background and his hopes for the city’s future.

When asked to cite his qualifications for being mayor of Jasper, Seitz recounted a professional background in communications, leadership development, marketing, and human resource performance. Seitz considers these to be vital skills in a time when he believes Jasper should be looking for new opportunities and trying to market itself to bring in outside business. Seitz also feels his time spent as a member of the Jasper Action Team, helping to spur economic growth in the area, has given him the experience and perspective to take on Jasper’s unique challenges.

Seitz praises the recent business tax abatements approved for the area, believing Jasper should have adopted such measures years ago in an effort to bring business into the area and keep up with other cities who were adopting similar policies. Claiming that the tax abatements are only a small part of what Jasper could ultimately do to promote business growth, Seitz promises that as mayor he’ll push for further initiatives to expand Jasper’s economic potential for workers, small business owners, and larger companies. Judging from his experiences talking with citizens of Jasper, he feels that such measures would be well received by a public that wants the city to grow.

On his web site, Seitz has outlined his personal philosophy, “The Tomato Theory.” This credo states “if you’re green, you’re growing…if you’re ripe, you rot.” When questioned as to how this applies to Jasper, Seitz explained that as mayor he would always be looking for opportunities to better meet the citizens’ needs and grow the city’s culture and economics. According to Seitz, simply settling for the status quo is not good enough; life should be about looking toward the horizon for bigger and better things, a perspective he intends to bring to the position of mayor.

Strengthening this conviction is Seitz’s bond to Jasper, the city where he has lived and raised a family since 1978. Long an active member of the community and participant on local boards, Seitz has recently felt the need to intensify his efforts to better Jasper by seeking elected office. Party politics, he says, will be no obstacle to his administration, as the vital concerns of a city are the same regardless of political creed.

Citing a combination of foresight, vision, and desire, Seitz feels he is ready to lead Jasper to a more proactive future. If the citizens and their elected officals are ready to enable prosperity and catch up with the rest of the economic world, then he believes the best is yet to come for the city of Jasper.