BUCHANAN — Six candidates are vying for three open seats on the Buchanan City Commission in next week’s election.

Voters can vote for three candidates, and the winners will serve four-year terms.

Incumbents seeking re-election are mayor Carla Cole and commissioners Bill Norton and Joe Scanlon. Also running are Monroe Lemay, Donna Norton and former city commissioner Dave Hagey.

All the candidates interviewed expressed their excitement to work with new city manager and police chief Bill Marx.

But the priorities of the different candidates differ. The Star interviewed the candidates this week about the upcoming election. Here is what they had to say:

Carla Cole: The current mayor said she is running for re-election to see “a lot of the things on the table accomplished.”

Specifically, Cole wants to see the watershed improvement project completed in her next term. She said she is supportive of the advisory committee on the McCoy’s Creek Watershed and will do all she can to help the project be completed in the next four years, if elected.

Cole, who has lived in Buchanan for most of her life, also wants to help see vacant buildings continue to get filled downtown to build the city’s tax base.

Cole, who sits on the Southeast Berrien County Landfill Board, said she is supportive of the recent decision to research the pros and cons of selling the landfill. Without having done enough research yet, Cole said she doesn’t know her opinion on what should be done with the landfill.

She also said with recent expenditures, like the purchase of a new fire truck, the city will need to “tighten the belt” with future budgets.

If re-elected, Cole said she would consider serving as mayor again if nominated and selected by the other commissioners.

Monroe Lemay: Lemay has been the director of the Buchanan Chamber of Commerce since 2007 and is the founder of the Buchanan Art Center.

She said she is running because she feels the “government currently is not running the city properly.”

Lemay said she would call for more checks and balances in city government and better communication between the commission and Buchanan residents.

“We’ve allowed our own agendas and personal feelings to be running the community and not what’s best for the people,” she said. “As chamber director, I deal with that on a daily basis. We’re here for the chamber members not our own agendas.”

While some have questioned whether her work on the chamber is a conflict of interest in working on the commission, Lemay feels like it’s a positive.

“The two should be moving in the same direction and have the same goals,” she said.

Lemay also wants to see more programs for the youth in the city.

She said she would bring creativity and “brutal honesty” to the commission if elected.

Bill Norton: Norton, who was appointed to the board a year and a half ago, believes improving the streets and sidewalks of the city should be a priority.

“We’ve neglected those far too long,” he said. “People who drive through Buchanan, I’d like to see them looking around more than trying to dodge potholes.”

The city could also improve its look by demolishing some dilapidated properties, according to Norton.

He also said the commission has to find a way to maintain its services to the public without raising taxes.

Norton, who helped organize the Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service and worked for Clark Equipment Co. for 37 years, would like to see “the growth of the industrial base, based on smaller businesses.”

Donna Norton: The wife of current commissioner Bill Norton said she has been hitting the streets hard to find out the concerns of Buchanan residents.

“We’ve been meeting as many people as we can,” Norton said. “The main question was not streets or anything. It was the landfill.”

She said it’s too big of an issue to ignore.

Norton, who worked for Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service and currently volunteers at the senior center in Buchanan, said having more programs for seniors and youth is important for the city.

She also said communication is severely lacking on the commission.

“I would bring mainly communication between the commission and the people, the commission members themselves and between the city manager and all the departments,” Norton said.

She said her door would always be open and her phone always available to the public if elected.

Norton has lived in Buchanan for 25 years.

Joe Scanlon: Scanlon was appointed to the commission six months ago after the death of former mayor Barbara Clark. He previously was on the commission for seven years, including stints as mayor and mayor pro tem.

Scanlon has been a supporter of the construction of a skate park for the city’s youth for years.

“I think we need to do something for our kids,” he said. “It will help (curb) the vandalism. I did a lot of research on it several years ago but could not get enough support for it.”

During his previous terms as a commissioner, Scanlon was involved with the planning commission and the Downtown Development Authority and helped bring businesses to the vacant buildings downtown.

“I’m very proud of the past eight years with the things that have happened downtown,” he said. “When I first became a city commissioner, there were by far more empty buildings than occupied buildings.”

Scanlon also said improvements to the police and fire department buildings are necessary in the near future.

He also sits on the landfill board and has encouraged its members to slow down the process of selling the landfill until more information is gathered.

Scanlon worked for Midas for 26 years as the general manager and is involved with the Buchanan Moose Lodge.

Hagey could not be reached before press time.