Gary Ohler ran for Normal Town Council two years ago but lost. (Photo By Paul Morello/WJBC)

By Paul Morello

NORMAL - One candidate for Normal Town Council wants the city to focus on improving its fire protection.

Gary Ohler said Monday fire protection has fallen off as the town has expanded.

"Anybody that has any experience in emergency services knows that minutes are lives. When we started to expand the town and not plan for that expansion with critical services such as fire rescue, that's something we need to address," he said.

A recent Town of Normal report showed the average fire response time in 2012 was about 4.5 minutes.

PODCAST: Listen to Gary Ohler on WJBC.

Ohler said he is also concerned about town officials focusing too much on Uptown Normal and neglecting other areas.

"The citizens want to see in their neighborhoods sidewalks that aren't buckled and heaved, roads that don't have cracks and potholes, and things like that," he said. "So when you see all the beautification that's going on in Uptown, it really seems like that's a more self-serving approach."

Ohler ran for town council two years ago and lost by about 300 votes. He has spent 26 years in the insurance business and is an Illinois Wesleyan University graduate.

Three council seats and the mayor's post are up for grabs in the April 9 election. 

Paul Morello can be reached at paul@wjbc.com.