This is the third story in a nine-part series featuring the candidates in the city and School Board races.

There will be two seats open for the November City Commission election, with four candidates running for the seats. 

Early voting for the general election will begin in-person Oct. 15. Advance ballots will also be mailed Oct. 15. The last day to apply for an advance voting mail ballot is Oct. 28. 

The county election office at 711 W. 23rd St in Lawrence will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Oct. 15 through Oct. 24, then 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 27 through Oct. 31. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 1, Eudora City Hall and the county election office will also be open for advanced voting. Nov 3 is the last day for advanced voting, which will be from 8 a.m. to noon at the election office. 

Regular voting will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 4.

Jason Musick 

Current Job 

Owner Barbwire Barbecue 

Community involvement

President of Convention and Visitors Bureau, treasurer for CPA, programming chair for Chamber of Commerce

Why are you running for this election?

Honestly, I feel like it’s really time for a change for Eudora, and I’m running for this election because I hear a lot of frustration from our community and with working in the various entities or the various organizations over the last several years, there seems to be a lot of disconnect. And I want to be able to have a voice and say, “Hey, we’re not” – and again, this is my opinion, “we’re just not headed in the right direction, and our priorities just don’t seem like it’s really focused really genuinely on Eudora,” and that’s why I’m running.

I feel like we need to have more voice from our community. I feel like there needs to be a level of respect and understanding that when we have amazing volunteer groups, we’ve got to support them. We’ve got to be able to create that culture and saying, “Hey, we see you, we value you, we appreciate  you. How can we help them?” 

Because at the end of the day, all of these organizations, they just want Eudora to be great, and if they’re stifled because of policy, it’s just not okay, just not okay. We’ve got to be able to be more inclusive, and we’ve got to be both a lot more open to ideas that may be not be the ideas that they had.

What issues are most important to you? 

So, recently, I just did a survey … My campaign – it’s not about issues about me or my issues. It’s about community issues. And, in that survey, you know, people are concerned. They’re concerned about our roads. They’re concerned about transparency of our government. They’re concerned about small business development. I would also say infrastructure from water, sewer, electric. Those are the top four concerns based upon my survey. 

And I honestly can say 100% that’s what I would be running on. People are concerned with property taxes, but again, you have to have taxes to pay for the roads, right? But that’s, to me, I see that as well as a concern, and we need to really look at that piece.

Panasonic is officially open. What steps do you think the city should be taking to continue to plan for growth surrounding that? 

For me, I don’t know if we’re going to see this big influx of people moving into town for Panasonic. I always believed that, although they said, “Oh, and we’re going to generate 4,000 jobs,” which is great, I just think a lot of that is they’re just pillaging from other businesses that are locally around. I don’t see just droves of people moving in. 

Now, what maybe I might see is what happens to growth around Panasonic, maybe auxiliary businesses that maybe complement that area. So maybe there’s a company that specializes in a certain thing that Panasonic needs. So maybe there’s some more business growth around that,  and maybe that’s something we should look at. 

I just think Panasonic is, they’re just calling people that are already here. And I just don’t see – now, do I see that maybe people live maybe an hour, hour and a half away, or whatever, and maybe they’re looking for a place that’s closer, a better commute? Then there’s that possibility as well. I just don’t see droves of people coming to town. 

There is a housing shortage in the county. How should the city continue to address this? Are you in favor of tax incentives for developers like the ones being used already?

Okay, so I think part of that is we’ve got to look for the diversification of housing, right? We’ve got to be able to have places for our seniors to retire in, right? We’ve got to have homes to attract youth into our community. Our community is aging, and so we need to figure out a way to bring younger families into our community. And so I think part of that piece, too, is working with local developers on that process. 

I think tax incentives can help, but I don’t think it’s the cure all. I actually was just talking to somebody who is a local developer, Eudora person, and said, and they were talking about stuff, and I’m like, “So, are you wanting tax incentives?” And this person says, “No, we don’t need it.” So, I guess my big piece when you talk about tax incentives, are we just using tax incentives to then enrich those developers, or can we look at a way to encourage organic growth? 

We have a lot of home builders in our own community, and they to me, I’m like, that’s a huge asset for our community. You have home builders that want to build great homes because they want their community to be successful. So, I would rather see something like that versus giving a ton of tax incentives to an outside developer that probably doesn’t even give two squats about our community. 

And I think that that’s where it’s at. Then looking at that piece and saying, “Wow, if we have home developers, and what are some of their obstacles in developing in Eudora, and I think that we need to have that partnership.” I just feel if you have people from our community willing to build homes and do those things, they’re invested in the community. They’re not really trying to do something that – at the end of the day, they still live in this community. They have to see these homes. It’s way different than getting an outside developer, because once that development’s done, they wash their hands and they move on to the next project. 

How do you think the city should address concerns about property tax rates and the need to keep Eudora’s small-town feel? 

You need growth to offset some of the property taxes, right? So, you can’t have a small town and not grow and not have – you have to grow to offset some of that tax burden, right? I think the key to that is how we grow and where we grow, and how that design and how that fits. 

I was having conversations with people. I said, “Well, Eudora has to grow, like, you can’t say, ‘I don’t want to have my taxes raised, but then we don’t have extra homes, right?’” So, and on the flip side, when you talk about commercial growth, you can’t have all this commercial growth without more people to pull in, right? 

That’s, as a business owner, that’s one of the challenges for us is, you know, I always tell people, I said, “Eudora is just not big enough to sustain all of this stuff at this point, and so we do have to add homes.” Where and how and what they look like, I think, is key to kind of maybe keeping that small-town feel. 

But it’s not just about the homes. It’s about things that can make Eudora a unique destination, whether that’s driving agritourism projects. I think that that is also a key to keeping Eudora unique and still kind of having that small-town feel. The biggest disadvantage, and yet it is also the biggest advantage Eudora has, is our location, so the option for us to not grow, to me, it’s just not on the table. Eudora will grow, and it has to. 

What do you think are the city’s biggest infrastructure or improvement needs?

North Eudora, they have a lot of issues, right? And I’m talking everything north of K-10, you know, I mean, whether it’s the roads, but I think also you still have a lot of areas so that, from my understanding, still have clay pipes and still have all these things. 

So, you know, those are things that down the road we’re going to have to address before it becomes a big issue. Again, infrastructure was the number one concern, and particularly roads were the number one concern in my survey. Yes, I only had 61 people, but roads are a big deal for people, and a lot of them are complaining about the roads in old Eudora. They’re complaining not about gutters, not about curbs, they’re complaining about the roads. 

And so I think that that’s something we have to balance. Do we look at the projects where we do, okay, we do some of the old parts of Eudora, and then we keep up what we have, right? You have to maintain what you have, or you fall into the predicament that we’re in right now, right? 

So, I think it’s really having a good plan. I think part of that, too, is in communicating to the public that, “Hey, this is our plan, and this is what we’re doing.” And, you know, hopefully they see that, because I think some of these people feel like their subdivision, or their area, is forgotten about. And I get it, I see it, I hear them.

What departments within the city do you see as needing more support, funding or additional services?

So, hands down, codes department needs a complete better support. I hear about this all the time, and I don’t want to bash people. I want to sit there and say, “How do we invest into our city to eliminate a lot of these issues?” Right? Do we hire a city planner? I think so. I think we invest in a city planner. That person is going to have the knowledge of how to design our city and how we grow our city in a great way, right? 

But also that planner can also help spearhead issues about codes that are just antiquated. And, you know, we got to start talking about that, and we have to start making some action, right? People complain about certain things all the time. You’re not going to make everybody happy. But part of the reason why developers do not want to come into Eudora is because Eudora is very difficult to deal with. And that’s just not okay. 

It’s just not okay if they’re developing in other municipalities, and they do not have the issues that they have when they encounter our government. There’s something wrong here, right? So again, we’re not talking about temporary signs. We’re not talking about fences. We’re talking about developers that generally want to come in, and they have great track records, they have all the things that we need, and then they don’t want to come to Eudora, so that’s a big piece, and to me, it’s not just a department, it’s a culture thing, right? 

We have got to change the approach, and I don’t know why – are we intentful on this, or is it just, you know, again, that’s what I’m asking. I’m not afraid to just address the elephant in the room. If this is a common thing, and I get people calling in all the time, they will not come into Eudora because Eudora is too difficult to work with. it. 

I think then communication. We’ve got to hire a communications specialist to have somebody who can help support city staff and support the commission, and, most importantly, support our community, right? I think the school district has done a really great job in having a communication specialist. And I think that has really been a positive thing for the school district, and I think the city – I think it would be money well spent to have somebody who can also get ahead of that piece, you know, and hopefully then that will take off some of the workload from some of the city staff. So, again, investing in our city staff so they can be, you know, effective and more efficient. 

What will you do to help spur additional development in the Nottingham development? What do you see as necessary steps? 

I’m just gonna say it: Eudora has got to get out of the real estate business, so sell it. Just get somebody in that can develop the property. Again, you’re going to go through Planning Commission, you’re going to go through all these things, so you’re going to have things where they’re not just setting up something you don’t want. 

But Eudora, the city has had five-plus years to figure this out. That’s all I’m going to say. So, we need to get somebody in there who’s willing to develop it and to put tax dollars back into the pocket of our community. That’s it. So, I think we got to get out of the real estate business, period. You know, it doesn’t mean that we don’t help facilitate growth and support, and that’s part of what we should do. We just – I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

What are your views on the proposed STAR bond district to bring more sports/entertainment to town? 

I’m a hard no on the STAR bond district. That’s kind of a big deal for me. I think, one, when you really look at it, yes, the city is going to receive sales tax revenue from that. The city is going to receive property tax revenue on that. However, there are a lot of things that I think we’re not really addressing. Number one, where are we going to get the labor to work all of these places? We just don’t have that in Eudora right now. So are we going to pull from Lawrence? Are we pulling from De Soto, like, how are we going to be competitive, especially if you have a big place like Panasonic, paying top dollar, right? 

So, where are we going to get all these people to work all these service jobs, right? The second piece is, where are these people going to live? Right? We just talked about we don’t have any homes, right? But, okay, so you have apartments as part of the STAR bond district. People that are working as a server or bartender or, you know, even in the fast food restaurants that they have mapped out out there, they’re not going to be able to afford that $1,500 – $2,000 rent [per] month. It’s unfeasible. 

So, what’s the plan? Are there going to be rent-controlled properties? I don’t see them putting that in a STAR bond district. So, what’s going to happen there? And so that, to me, is a really big concern. And the third thing is, you know, the feasts and the famine. When you go and you look at the presentation, and you look at how many concerts and tournaments and this and that, that they’re planning for this 5,000-person arena, that is not even active for over half of the year. 

So, what’s going to happen? What’s going to happen to our businesses when there’s not those events again? Eudora is not big enough to support all of that. So what happens? And I’ve seen that personally as a manager with a corporate restaurant in Power and Light District. I’ve seen how difficult it is. It’s difficult for corporate restaurants to deal with that. What about your mom and pop businesses? How are they going to be able to sustain that? 

So, again, we’ve got to have good growth, and we’ve got to look at it in a holistic standpoint. [With a] STAR bond district, too, we the taxpayers have to pay for the infrastructure that goes into that district. Now, within the district, the district pays for that zone infrastructure, so the citizens of Eudora –  they’re gonna have to pay for the paved roads and the moving of all the utilities and stuff. 

We can’t even fix our current roads, right? So, again, now we’re asking taxpayers to pay that, and then, I don’t know, are we going to have a new fire station, you know, buy an expensive fire engine, you know, when you’re talking an arena and all this stuff? And so now what do we have? Two fire stations? Do we have one fire station that’s full time, the other fire station still volunteer? 

You know, what about our police force? We have to build another station. We’re gonna have to add more people, more, more, more and more. That’s what I’m seeing right now. So, I don’t know, I don’t think we’re ready for that. I just – I think the thought there is to generate sales tax revenue, and I get it and I understand it. However, there’s all of these other things that are big red flags for me. 

And I just don’t feel Eudora –  number one, I don’t think Eudora wants it in their backyard. You know, they want that small-town feel. I do not think that Eudora wants another cookie cutter situation. Also, I’ve been doing a lot of research, and right now there are a lot of STAR bonds out there that are underperforming the expectations. That gives me great pause to say, “Hey, we may want to pull the plug and pivot and do something that’s completely different.”

With the senior community such an important part of Eudora, what do you see being needed to continue to support them service-wise? 

I think just the continued involvement, right? I think when I talk to a lot of the seniors, you know, they’re concerned about affordable housing. They’re concerned about housing. So, how do we address some of that piece? How do we address engagement? You know, one of the things running, you know, whether it’s the CPA or the market, it’s, how do we get seniors out of their homes and into the community? 

Again, that’s a big thing. Do we look at a public transit system, something that helps the seniors getting around in town, increases their mobility? And I don’t think it should just stay with the seniors. I think there are a lot of – I don’t know what the right term is, is it handicapable individuals? Is that the right term? But people with special needs and stuff, too, is, how do we include them into these processes, too, you know what I mean? 

So, what does that look like? And I would love to see people, you know, Pinecrest individuals that can come, are able to get out and about, they just, they can’t drive, right? So how do we get them to be more involved and engaged? So, yes, I think seniors are very important, but I also think we need to look at the other demographics that are wanting to get out but just can’t get out because of mobility issues or what have you. 

So, that’s kind of my thing, balancing the growth, and, you know, whether it’s a senior community area where it’s a gated community and, you know, what have you now, again, I don’t know. I’m not completely 100% on the topic, you know what I mean? But I do think that there’s those options, and it’s something that is going to continue to grow, and our location is really great. 

There has been conversation about needing a new City Hall building. Would that be a priority for you if elected? 

No, if we can’t fix the roads, how do we justify building a whole new City Hall? Yeah, I mean, that’s just where I’m at. I feel like we need to put money into the dirty stuff, the things that people don’t want to talk about, you know, but we do appreciate flushing our toilets and take a shower. Guess what happens? I think it’s more important that we put money into those things to ensure the growth. 

And, again, if Eudora grows, we’re going to need that stuff, right? We’re going to need a new water treatment plant. So, to me, infrastructure should be a priority, you know, having a nice City Hall to me, again, I get it. People are – space is tight. I get it, but I don’t know. I can’t justify all of that when we’re having infrastructure issues within our community. We will always have that for sure. You know what I mean? But I do think that we need to be invested in some things so that would prevent further major issues for our city.

Overall, what is your vision for Eudora’s future?

I’ve been running on three Is, right? Invest, involve, inspire. We’ve gotta invest in our people. We gotta invest in processes. We’ve gotta invest in good growth, and we do that by involving our community. We have got to get our community more involved. We have to be able to listen. We cannot have this top down approach anymore. We’ve got to have a bottom to the top approach.

Whether that’s more frequent town halls, whether that is, you know, task force or steering committee, you know. We talk about building codes and stuff. Why do we pay thousands and thousands of dollars in consulting fees? Why are we not engaging stakeholders in our community and getting them to bring up some of these issues? 

I was just talking to a developer, and they said, “You know, Jason, you’ve got code for single family, you have a code for this, and you have a code for apartments, but if you want to do a triplex or a four-plex, then it turns into codes for an apartment.” Okay? 

Well, we know that those codes are very – and those standards can be very expensive and over the top, right? So, those are the things that we talk about. And have a steering committee or task force working with the Planning Commission, working with the codes department, working with whomever. But again, I think if we have more people involved in those processes, boy, what can we achieve? You know what I mean? 

I don’t know everything, but what I do know is people can be very passionate about things, and I think we need to take that passion that people have and harness it and put good to it, right? So, the involvement is a huge piece for me. 

And the last thing is inspire. We have no art in our community, you know, we’ve got to inspire art. We have one statue. We have a mural that’s in the Giving Garden. Other than that, with that, we have nothing. We have no summer music. We have no summer theater. We have no community theater. Like, we’ve got to be much more than just a town with sports. We’ve got to also look at other things, right? 

But also, we have to inspire our youth to maybe go to college or go to trade school or do whatever they want to do, but we got to inspire them to come back and keep the roots here in Eudora. That’s a big piece for me, and that’s what I’m running on.

Anything you want to add?

No, I think we’re good.