‘Not willing to give up...liberty for...security’

Editor's Note: The Berea Citizen is making this article free to read to help better inform voters in the upcoming election.

A city council candidate’s declaration in a nonpartisan race that he would not compromise on his conservative Christian views and another candidate’s unequivocal statement against Flock cameras stood out during Thursday’s town hall among otherwise mostly measured responses.

Asked whether he would speak up if he disagreed with fellow council members, Dan Sipple said he would tackle his duties if elected from a “Christian, conservative, God-first” worldview. He added that he would not apologize for the stance and was OK that it would “turn some people off.”

‘I’m going to tell you right now, if you vote for me, I’ve got a Christian, I’ve got a conservative, and I’ve got a God-first mentality,” he said. “And I’m not going to apologize for it. So, if you vote me in, that’s exactly the world view that I’m gonna, I look at it as a world view. I look at it as kingdom-first view. My kingdom is Jesus.”

Topics addressed by candidates during the town hall included their stance on Flock cameras, the city’s restaurant tax, their view on growth in the city, resources for people in recovery and the future of arts and crafts in Berea. 

On the issue of Flock cameras, most of the candidates who attended said they have concerns about privacy, but the response from city council candidate Alex Sipple (Dan Sipple’s nephew) was the strongest against them. 

“I’m essentially not willing to give up our citizens’ liberty for a sense of security,” he said, adding that the city has “plenty of” police officers and that they have resources. 

The two Sipples were joined by fellow newcomer candidates Leah Van Winkle, Teresa Wren, Brooke King and Regina Hudson. Incumbent candidates John Payne and Mike Barnett and former councilman Ronnie Terrill, who resigned from the council in July but is still running for election), also attended.   

Candidate Ali Blair, along with incumbent candidates Katie Startzman, Steve Caudill and Barry Poynter, did not attend.

Mayoral candidates Bruce Fraley (incumbent) and Ricky Clontz also attended the forum, held at Churchill’s Thursday evening. Candidate Troy Lane did not attend.

Terrill, who wore a Ricky Clontz campaign shirt to the event, was the sole candidate who was emphatic in his support for Flock cameras, 10 of which are posted throughout Berea. 

“I really believe in them cameras,” he said. “And what I think we need to do is have some mechanism to see who’s monitoring what on the cameras,” adding that he has heard about police officers monitoring “girlfriends.”

Among the remaining council candidates, Van Winkle’s response was one of the stronger responses against the use of the cameras, though she fell short of definitively saying she would vote to end the city’s utilization of them. 

“I don’t think (their use) is a good idea,” she said. “I don’t think becoming a surveillance-oriented community really works.”

She said she supports looking more critically at the issue, and at maybe ending the contract the city is in with Flock Safety, the company that owns the cameras. 

Payne said he has a “very strong, healthy criticism, skepticism, of Flock cameras,” and that ensuring the city has strong safeguards in place for their use is important. 

But he also said he wants to talk with leaders of cities that have stopped using the cameras to find out their reasons, and to gather facts before making a “knee-jerk decision.” 

Dan Sipple indicated ambivalence about the cameras, saying the number of cameras has gotten out of hand and citing reports that 96% of all searches of the cameras in Lexington were conducted by out-of-state or federal agencies, but also stating a need to consider safety. 

“If we put up two or three cameras, maybe I could deal with it,” he said. “All of a sudden, we’re up to 10, 11.  Guys this is crazy. I think there really is a need of it only because of the times that we live in. So we do have to think about safety.”

Fraley also cited concerns but also called the cameras a public safety tool, stating they played a role in locating a murder suspect and a missing child.   

“I think it deserves a broader discussion, in particular with the council,” he said. “I also know there are privacy concerns there, and I respect that, and I think we need to listen to the people.”

Clontz also stayed on the fence, stating the cameras “step all over” people’s rights but that he wants to support police. He said he would want the issue to go up for a vote. 

Van Winkle emphasizes keeping city’s identity as it grows 

On her views on how the city council should look at growth in the city, Van Winkle said retaining the city’s character while finding creative ways to grow is important. 

“I...think that character is what makes Berea special, and part of that is the arts and crafts culture, and that’s more than the economy boost that that provides,” she said. “That is about identity, that is about what are the traditions that Berea helps keep alive and how can we support those.”

She mentioned making it easier for residents to build accessory dwelling units on their properties as an example of a creative way to accommodate growth.  ADUs are smaller, secondary living space built on the same lot as a primary residence.

Addressing arts and crafts in Berea, Van Winkle also stated that she wants to offer more supports for small businesses, particularly arts-based organizations. 

Stressing the need to focus on maintaining quality of life, Payne said he would like to see responsible growth that ensures the city’s outdoor spaces are preserved. 

“Our outdoor spaces are very much what makes Berea,” he said. “You come in for the crafts but stay for the beauty of our outdoors. (There’s ) a lot of beauty in Berea, and we want to preserve that for our children and grandchildren.”

Stating the city is “kind of in” an identity crisis, Dan Sipple said he wants to focus on keeping the mountains and streams, and on attracting tourists. 

“Let’s find a way to make to make money in this town without growing it so much that we turn into another Richmond,” he said. 

Terrill: No restaurant tax would mean higher property taxes

Dan Sipple was the sole candidate to indicate possible support for repealing the city’s restaurant tax, while, on the other end of the spectrum, Terrill promised higher property taxes if it goes away. 

Terrill said he can “guarantee” the city will have to raise property taxes if the restaurant tax is repealed.

“Here’s the problem,” Terrill said. “If we do away with it, we’re gonna have to raise the property tax. We gotta have the money.”

The city’s restaurant tax is a 3% tax on restaurant sales that was enacted to help fund Berea Tourism. The tax has a long controversy in the city, with questions surrounding how the funding generated from it is used and how it should be used. 

The question, posed by the event moderator rather than coming from an audience member, asked whether candidates were in favor of repealing the tax. 

Most candidates said they would not repeal the tax but said they would look at how it is spent.

The sole city council candidate to indicate he might be in favor of the tax’s repeal was Dan Sipple, who said the issue is the first thing he would tackle if elected. 

“We’re getting hammered everywhere,” he said. “I’m telling you right now, we’ve got to get relief somewhere for locals, for Berea citizens.”

Payne said the city has improved how the tax is used but also said “it’s just a matter of finding and encouraging the best use of the tax.” 

“I think the city’s partnership with Tourism, we’re able to utilize that money to better serve not only Berea tourists in the community but also to provide services and quality of life improvements to the community that already lives here,” he said. 

Alex Sipple stressed that the funding is separate from the city’s funds. 

“We just need to utilize that appropriately, and everything will be OK.,” he said. “There’s so much more creativity that tourism could be doing to utilize that tax money. 

Fraley commented that the tax is being well spent, and that it should be used to both attract tourists and benefit citizens. He plugged his plans to build a recreational center, which he announced in August, as the perfect use of the tax funds. 

Contrarily stating the funding “isn’t well spent,” Clontz emphasized that Berea Tourism is supposed to control that funding. But he also said he would like to discuss ways to use the funding that would better benefit Berea residents. 

“I don’t like it, but I’ll keep it if the people want to,” he said. 

He added that Berea children need more recreational options than just the city swimming pool, and said he also would want to look into building a recreational center.

The Berea Restaurant Association has planned another town hall event for 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at Churchill’s, located at 100 Churchill Drive in Berea.