Abbotsford mayor faces write-in challenge

By Kevin O’Brien

Abbotsford Mayor Jim Weix will face a write-in challenge from former city council member Frankie Soto in next Tuesday’s spring election.

Weix, who is retired, has served as mayor for four years and was previously on the council for four years. He has been a member of the Abbotsford Lions Club for 20-plus years and also serves on the church council at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Green Grove.

Soto served on the city council for three years. Soto was the Abbotsford School District’s food service director for 27 years and is now semi-retired and working in the Thorp and Medford school districts. He is a member of the church council at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Curtiss.

Why are you running for mayor?

Soto: “I want to keep the city growing. Also, I think we can bring in more industry here, being on the 29-13 intersection. I’m looking for ways to help our seniors – and everybody I should say – to save money.”

Soto said one idea he has for saving money is for the city to install solar panels.

He would also like to see more apartments built for seniors.

Weix: “I had a lot of people ask me if I was going to run again. I asked them back ‘Do you think I should?’ ‘Well, everything seems to be running so good’ is what I get back from the people.”

What would you say you makes the better candidate?

Soto: In his 27 years as the school district’s food service director, Soto said he learned how to work within budgets, maintain a healthy fund balance and supervise people – skills he believes will help him run the city.

“I feel that I’m the best candidate to keep the city growing and growing.”

Weix: “Because I’ve had experience. My brother was clerk-treasurer here in town, my dad was involved in politics. I know how this city used to be run, and I didn’t like the way things were being run. That’s the only reason I threw my hat in the ring. I thought I would give it a go and see if I could do any good. We’ve got peace in the valley, and things are running pretty good now. This is the feedback I get from a lot of people.”

What would you say are your biggest accomplishment as mayor and what more would you like to get done?

Weix: “When I got elected mayor the first time, Dan Grady (city administrator) was still there. I didn’t care for the way things were being run. It’s nothing against Dan, I don’t point fingers at people. I went into his office the first day I was mayor and said ‘Honesty is the best policy. Don’t every lie, and the front drawer never comes up short. Every penny has to be accounted for because it’s taxpayer dollars. We have to account for that money.”

“Honesty is the best policy. If you never tell a lie, you never have to tell another one to cover the one you first told.”

“We’ve got a lot of projects going on behind the scenes right now. We’ve got 11 lots up there (in the Schilling subdivision) and we have a party interested. This is not common knowledge with everybody, but we’re working on it behind the scenes.”

If elected, what would be your biggest priorities as mayor? How do you plan on getting those accomplished?

Soto: “My biggest priority is to get more senior apartments, more housing development and more industry into the city, and also to do the solar panels.”

“I would get pricing for the city council so they can see it, and then move on to some of the people in town and ask questions. I’d have a little sit-down town meeting to see how some of them feel. I’d look for grant money to help fund this. The same thing with the senior apartments, finding grant money to put up some of those and also for mediumsized families to build houses.”

Jim Weix

Frankie Soto