Allen Shute is running for mayor

Allen Shute has added his name to the list of candidates running for mayor.

“I’m 60 years old. Nobody can threaten me. Nobody can bribe me,” said Shute.

A democrat, he is deciding to run after retiring from his trucking business.

“I can teach Meridian people not to be afraid of the government. They shouldn’t be afraid of these people. We need to get rid of this good ole boy attitude.”

Shute frequently attends city council meetings and said he’s displeased with how the current mayor and council members have addressed citizen’s concerns.

“Not one answer. They don’t call you. They don’t send you an email. They don’t do anything. They just ignore you.”

He said that if he becomes mayor he promises to have an open-door policy.

“This door right behind me, the mayor’s door, when i am mayor, that door will not be shut. It will not be locked. It will be open all business hours. Anytime someone wants to talk to me, they will be able to come in and talk to me.”

He explained a few things he hopes to accomplish if elected.

“We can fix those roads. We can take those 3,000 houses we have that need to be torn down. People will want to stay here. We can bring people here if we have a good enough city. If people want to come here, then businesses will come here. But no business wants to come here knowing we don’t even have a bus service. The people who would work for a factory can’t even get back and forth to their job.”

He also gave his solution to targeting the city’s crime.

“I think we should bring in other people from surrounding areas that have the same problems with crime. I’m from Seattle, Washington. We had gangs and stuff, but we got rid of them. We learned how to control them. There’s ways to do it.”

To learn more about Allen Shute and what he hopes to do for the city, you can visit his website at allenshute.com.