Mayoral, council, and clerk candidates took part in a question and answer forum at Hillsdale College on Oct. 22, at which the possibility of an income tax initiative to fund the roads caused the most discussion.
Last year’s election ballot contained a provision that would have instituted a one percent city income tax in order to fund street repair, but 73 percent of voters rejected the proposal.
Hillsdale’s current mayor, Doug Moon, attended the forum and said many of the ideas discussed have already been tried. He also said that the only idea that makes sense is the income tax.
He also endorsed Brian Watkins for mayor, saying, “He comes with solutions, not just a ‘no’ vote.”
Watkins said he was in favor of the plan last year, but won’t propose another income tax.
“The income tax is dead. The voters buried it nearly a year ago, and I will not resurrect it or support it as mayor. On paper, the tax is the best option, but it’s not up to me,” Watkins said in a later interview. “The only option I’m against is doing nothing.”
Opposing mayoral candidate Scott Sessions was firmly against an income tax at the forum. He suggested that Hillsdale might be able to save money by cutting the budget or lowering the cost of road work by resurfacing the streets instead of completely rebuilding them.
Emily Stack-Davis, running for city council ward III, said she would be reluctant to add a new tax, but would be willing to talk about any option. She said it might come down to what residents’ priorities are.
“We can always complain about roads, but if you’d rather have one percent in your pocket, then you’ve made a decision about the roads,” she said.
Ward IV candidate Patrick Flannery emphasized budget cutting as a way to save money.
“There is no budget out there that can’t be cut,” he said, adding that any new taxes will discourage businesses from coming to Hillsdale.
The candidates also addressed the problem of blight. Many owners of homes or businesses, they said, are not keeping their buildings up to code. Watkins said we need a code-enforcement officer while Sessions said police can do the job alone. Either way, all candidates emphasised a need for enforcement of codes, except for Adam Stockford, running for ward I.
“Code enforcement makes me a little bit nervous,” he said, noting that some people may have legitimate reasons for being unable to keep their house up to standards.”
Candidates also discussed ideas to bring in more business and ways to connect with the community and with the college. City clerk candidate Amy England, who is not on the city council but has attended more than 600 council meetings, encouraged all residents to take more of an interest in city government.
“The city does need to get better about communication, but also the city residents need to get involved,” she said.
The forum was hosted by The Collegian and WCSR radio in Phillips Auditorium for candidates in all contested city elections. Those who could not attend the forum were able to listen on WCSR or watch it live streamed on the Internet.
“It’s been a lot of years since there’s been a lot of interest in city government,” Bob Flynn afternoon host of WCSR said at the beginning of the forum.
About 50 Hillsdale residents attended the forum, which took place exactly two weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Flynn and Taylor Knopf, the Collegian city news editor, moderated the discussion.
Ward IV city council candidate William Arnold and city clerk candidate Robilyn Swisher were unable to attend.
Audience members agreed, and said the forum was a good way to get to know the candidates better.
“I think the main thing I learned is that this crop of candidates have ideas,” said Mary Buerger. “They’re not always in lockstep, but they have ideas, and they are willing to work together.”
All Hillsdale residents will vote at the Mitchell Public Library on Nov. 5. Most of the forum is available on the YouTube channel “HillsdaleCandidatesForum2013.”
