Candidate for Mayor of Odessa: William (Bill) F. Crossley

Age: 57

Family: After moving to Odessa in 1991, I met and married my wife, Christine Crossley. We have been together for nearly 30 years. We have three children: Easton, Kolby (who is married to Alyssa), and Kassidy.

Day Job: Parts Sales Odessa Trading Co..

Relevent or Volunteer Experience: I served as a volunteer firefighter and a First Responder for many years. In 1997, I assumed the role of chairman for Deutschesfest after years of volunteering. I was an active member of the Odessa Chamber board for five years. I became a town council member in 2016 and later became mayor in 2018. My prior experience as a council member provided valuable knowledge and insight for my role as mayor.

Profile questions (please respond in 100 words or less per answer):

Question 1: Do you think the citizens of Odessa would prefer to see population growth or remain a similar size to maintain a small-town feel? How should the town help facilitate that position?

The community values the small-town atmosphere, but our primary challenge is the lack of housing, which hinders growth. To assist with housing development, the town is willing to support developers. We have had meetings with developers interested in addressing this housing problem. Finding grants for water and sewer hookup costs is one approach to aid developers in achieving this goal.

Question 2: What is the biggest problem currently facing the town? How could town administration and council help resolve that issue?

The town’s main concern remains the budget, mainly the general fund, which takes care of parks, streets, the cemetery, police, and buildings. It relies on a portion of citizens’ property taxes. To aid the general fund, we have secured grants for streets and buildings. We have also set up the Odessa Municipal Pool District (OMPD) to ease the pressure. Managing the general fund balance is always a challenge due to rising costs..

Question 3: Since this question was originally posed before the primary election, have you seen improvement in ordinance enforcement regarding undesirable/junk yards in town limits? How could the town continue to or begin to facilitate this process?

Most Odessa citizens take pride in their town, desiring a clean and appealing environment. In 2018, we introduced a nuisance ordinance to maintain tidy yards, enhancing the town’s appearance and property values. Living in Odessa entails the responsibility of maintaining a clean yard. This ordinance has proven effective in cleaning up many yards, and we are committed to sustaining this progress.