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With Pittsburg city commission elections not too far off, Shawn Naccarato, chief strategy officer at Pittsburg State University and city commissioner candidate, hopes to achieve his goals for city progress through election in November.
The duties of the city commission, according to the official website for Pittsburg, KS, include passing ordinances and resolutions, establishing policies for the city, and approving the annual budget, among other jobs. Elections to the city commission are held biannually, with three seats to be filled with each election cycle. The two candidates with the most votes receive a four-year appointment, while the candidate with the third-most votes is only guaranteed two years.
“There’s something powerful and inspiring happening in Pittsburg, and I’m running for city commissioner to help keep that energy, opportunity and growth going,” Naccarato said. “I’ve been fortunate in my career at Pitt State to partner with community and business leaders on numerous exciting and transformational initiatives, including the Plaster Center, Block22, Imagine Pittsburg 2030, the Four State Farm Show and the Lord’s Diner. It would be an honor and privilege to continue to serve Pittsburg as a city commissioner. My family and I love Pittsburg, and we’re proud to call it home.”
Naccarato’s campaign platform centers around promoting growth within and around the Pittsburg community.
“Pittsburg has made incredible progress over the past decade, but there is still much work to be done.,” Naccarato said. “We need to focus on high quality childcare, affordable housing, building and developing our workforce, improving our infrastructure, and ensuring the benefits of prosperity and opportunity are accessible to all.”
Another aspect of Naccarato’s campaign is an emphasis on citizen input.
“While communicating a vision and plans is important, an even more important aspect of leadership is the ability to listen,” Naccarato said. “It is vitally important to listen to the citizens of Pittsburg to truly understand their perspectives and concerns and I am committed to exploring various ways to foster effective two-way communication with the people of Pittsburg. During the campaign we’ve worked to do this through our social media channels, traditional print mail, doorstep conversations, and various meet-and-greet events. If elected, I will seek the most effective ways to communicate with all constituents, expand opportunity for citizen input, and increase engagement with the people of Pittsburg.”
While the nature of the election has Naccarato running against other members of the Pittsburg community as well as current members of the city commission up for re-election, Naccarato doesn’t see the election as a competition.
“I know many of (the other candidates) well, and I can say with certainty that everyone running in
this election is proud of Pittsburg and wants to see it thrive. What I bring to the table is an ability to form partnerships, develop creative solutions, and provide thoughtful leadership to do big things, and I’m very excited to help Pittsburg continue to do big things.”
The next Pittsburg city commission election will be held on Nov. 2. Any questions about the election
should be directed to the Crawford County Clerk’s Office.