Residents asked city government candidates about explicit library books, the homeless population, and the continued rift in the Hillsdale County Republican Party at a “Meet The Candidates Forum” on Oct. 24.

The town hall event, hosted by the Hillsdale Daily News and the Collegian, brought an audience of around 100 people, including both residents and college students. Penny Swan, a Ward 4 city council candidate, live-streamed the event.

“I think it’s really important for voters to be able to make informed decisions, and events like these allow that to happen,” junior Jonah Apel said. “Local government is really important. I also appreciate the amount of concern and care that local residents had.”

Participating candidates included Mayor Adam Stockford, running for reelection; Cindy Merritt and Gary Wolfram, competing for the Ward 3 city council seat; and Joshua Paladino and Penny Swan, vying to represent Ward 4 in the city council.

The town hall featured a one-hour Q&A session in which each candidate had 10 minutes to answer questions from the audience. 

The Collegian’s city news editor and junior Logan Washburn and Hillsdale Daily News reporter Corey Murray served as moderators. 

Adam Stockford – Mayor Election

Stockford spoke first at the event. His opponent Rondee Butcher declined to attend.

“I’m here tonight. I showed up. I think that’s half the battle,” Stockford said. “I’ve got a perfect attendance as mayor. I have attended every single city council meeting since I was elected.”

One attendee raised questions about homelessness. Stockford said he has been working on solving the issue as mayor, but there are many obstacles.

“I’ve put together a homeless task force; it was spinning wheels to get people to even show up to the meetings,” Stockford said. “I’ve got an entire police force that’s full of frustrated officers because they arrest people, they take them to the sheriff’s department, and they’re told that they’re at capacity.”

Stockford has a personal connection to the issue, he said, so he remains committed to working on solutions.

“I’ve been burglarized by homeless. My grandfather was murdered by a homeless man that he took into his house,” Stockford said.

A student asked him about previous legislation that would ban abortion in Hillsdale and whether or not he would support future bills to ban the procedure. Stockford said he was “not opposed to the idea,” but that he was cautious when putting new laws on the book.

“I think you have to be really careful with local ordinances,” Stockford said.

Stockford’s final question was about a local drag queen bingo event at a private business in town, and if he would support banning such events.

“I think it’s really gross. I wouldn’t attend it,” Stockford said. “But, I won’t respond to a left-wing totalitarian government by creating a right-wing authoritarian government.”

Cynthia (Cindy) Merritt – City Council Election, Ward 3

Merritt is facing Hillsdale College professor Gary Wolfram to represent Ward 3 on the city council. She described herself as a former opera singer, music teacher, and “most importantly, a mom.”

One audience member asked Merritt how she would solve the issue of pit bulls as a public safety threat.

“This is a personal opinion,” Merritt said. “I don’t like pit bulls. They’re bred to fight, they’re bred to kill. I would not have a problem with an ordinance outlawing pit bulls in the city.”

When asked about homelessness, Merritt focused on the priorities of business owners.

“I have great compassion for those who are homeless, however, I also have compassion for the business owner,” she said. “My daughter lives in the Los Angeles area. Several years ago, one of her friends drove us through the Skid Row. That’s the last thing we want to see here.”

Murray asked Merritt how she would improve school safety in the wake of mass shootings in Oxford, Michigan, and St. Louis, Missouri, since Hillsdale High School is part of Ward 3. 

“I see no problem with teachers who choose to take weapons training and arm themselves,” Merritt said.

Gary Wolfram, Hillsdale College Professor of Economics and Political Economy – City Council Election, Ward 3

Gary Wolfram, the William E. Simon professor in economics and public policy at Hillsdale College, is facing Merritt to represent Ward 3 in the city council. He focused on the financial health of the town, emphasizing a policy called “statutory revenue sharing,” which would return more sales tax revenue to the city. 

He argued that his tax system could fund a rehabilitative approach to the homeless crisis.

“The role of the government is to protect your property rights, and if these people are invading your property rights, then we should deal with that,” Wolfram said.

One resident asked Wolfram about his stance on the electoral college, and Wolfram said he supports ranked-choice voting. 

“I think what we ought to do is move to something like ranked-choice voting that Maine and Nebraska have,” Wolfram said. “I am in favor of moving away from ‘winner take all elections’. That’s the fundamental problem.”

When a resident asked his stance on legal marijuana, Wolfram said federal laws banning the drug have made it more potent and driven demand for hard drugs.  

Wolfram said his experience in state and federal politics would inform his approach to local government.

“I believe my experience as Michigan’s deputy state treasurer, congressional chief of staff, and senior economist for the Republican senate policy staff will give me a background that will be advantageous to the city,” Wolfram said.

Joshua Paladino – City Council Election, Ward 4

Hillsdale graduate student and library board member Joshua Paladino is seeking election on the city council for Ward 4, which includes the fairgrounds and northern portion of Baw Beese Lake. He said he hopes to preserve Hillsdale as a family-friendly town.  

“Its citizens, its history, its beauty, and its opportunities make Hillsdale the perfect city to live, work, relax, attend church, and raise children,” Paladino said.

Paladino highlighted a focus on family-friendly library content and said public institutions should hold themselves to the highest standards.

“The city charter says that the council may incorporate a library for the sake of promoting the common good and the public good,” Paladino said. “Anything that has a public name on it must meet the highest possible standards. This means we should have information that is academic and uplifting in the children’s section.”

Paladino’s focus on the library came as a response to the controversy surrounding the library board from the summer, in which the library director resigned after the board proposed to limit inappropriate content. According to Paladino, he found the novels “50 Shades of Gray” and “Lolita” in a banned books display for adults and children. He also found “The Hate U Give” in a section for ages 12 and up, also marked as a banned book. During his Q&A, he emphasized his interest in creating a “book curating system” and not a “book ban.”

Paladino said he would address homelessness by building community support for those who are struggling.

“A homeless person 100 years ago, everyone wanted to know their name, everyone would have rallied together, but now they’re just off in the woods shooting up – they’re totally isolated,” Paladino said. “The warming center brings these people in; we need to capitalize on this and partner with the city to find resources for them not just to bring them in every night to warm them up, but to bring them to a better and higher life.”

Penny Swan – City Council Election, Ward 4 

Penny Swan is running against Paladino to represent Ward 4 in the city council. Since moving back to her hometown in the 1990s, Swan can be found live streaming nearly all local meetings, including Monday’s Q&A. She describes herself as a “believer in government transparency.”

When asked about “pornography in the library,” she expressed a belief in parents picking which books are best for their children.

Swan said she hopes to improve local infrastructure, like repairing roads.

“The roads are horrible,” she said. “The road I live on is horrible.”

HCRP Official Removed From Meeting

Security removed Jon Smith, the secretary of the original “America First” Hillsdale County Republican Party group, toward the beginning of the event. Smith was not involved in an altercation at the event.

“I was at the public event to support my personal friends Adam Stockford and Joshua Paladino, but also to meet Mrs. Merritt and to see what she was about politically. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do either,” Smith said. “I honestly don’t know what I did wrong.”