Richland County Development Group’s (RCDG) Citizen Action sector hosted a candidate forum for area residents to engage with candidates for city council on Wednesday evening. The forum was held at the North End Community Improvement Cooperative (NECIC). All candidates on the ballot were in attendance with the exception of Michael Hill III, who is running unopposed. Carl Yeager was added to the ballot the day of the forum and due to his late addition was unable to be reached in time for a formal invitation to the forum.
Opening remarks were made by Deanna West-Torrence, Executive Director of NECIC and Matt Work, Director of Environmental Health at the Richland County Health Department. Recent projects of the Citizen Action Committee were discussed including the exploration of a central intake system designed to help residents more easily find help and services through a single phone call.
Vacant properties are another issue of great concern to members of the committee. According to research from the City of Mansfield Code Enforcement Office there are estimated 800-1,200 vacant homes in the city.
Scott Zartman of Neighborhood Watch and Leona Smith of NECIC were the moderators of the forum.
Each candidate was given the opportunity to open with a stump speech lasting no longer than five minutes. The candidates were asked to describe their top three priorities if elected. Not all candidates responded directly to the question in terms of identifying three priorities.
Cindy Baker identified revitalization, safety and constituent services as her top three priorities. She stressed the importance of relying on non-profit partnerships to band together with the city. She argued that the city can’t do it alone.
Pat Hightower reminded voters that she has eight and a half years of experience on council. She feels it is important to focus on what we can do as individuals to help and pointed to the successful efforts of NECIC community cleanup programs as an example of positive civic engagement of citizens.
Cliff Mears considers increasing public safety his top priority. His second priority is increasing opportunities for all citizens, mainly in the form of job creation. Third, Mears hopes to leverage his experience in the business community to make Mansfield more business friendly.
Jamie Thompson views city council as an extension of the work she has been doing with Downtown Mansfield Inc. and wants to serve as a link between citizens and government.
Jon Van Harlingen plans to leverage his experience as a former City of Mansfield employee and his ability to devote himself full-time to city council to solve more problems in the city, namely abandoned housing, slums and blight.
Prior to the forum the candidates were provided with a hyperlink to view a video about the blight concerns of Mansfield residents. You may view the “Fight the Blight” video here. The candidates were asked to respond to the issues raised in the video by describing how they define blight and their proposed solutions to the problem.
Baker reminded voters that the Federal Government defines blight as deterioration beyond repair while Hightower noted that blight can mean different things to different people. Van Harlingen reiterated Baker and Hightower’s points. Thompson summarized that neglect is the underlying issue regardless of definition.
All four expressed concern and frustration that solutions would require funding and sources for funding are limited. Mears’ response stood in contrast to the others. He commented directly on solutions proposed by residents in the video including the importance of holding homeowners accountable. Both Hightower and Mears pointed to Land Banks as workable solutions.
The final segment of the forum included audience questions including issues related to garbage collection, minority concerns, code enforcement and ward governance.
The final question came from Carolyn Caldwell who recently experienced a dumping problem in her neighborhood and had difficulty navigating city services to get help. During and after the forum council and community members advised and assisted Caldwell.
The Citizen Action Sector will hold a second voter event on October 9, also at 4 p.m. This event will host representatives from each of the issues on the November ballot.
The candidates (in alphabetical order):
Cythia (Cindy) Baker (Democrat), Council-at-Large
Pat Hightower (Democrat), 5th Ward Council (Incumbent)
Michael Hill III (Republican), 1st Ward Council (Incumbent—unopposed)
Cliff Mears (Republican), Council-at-Large (Incumbent)
Jamie Thompson (Republican), 3rd Ward Council
Jon Van Harlingen (Democrat), 3rd Ward Council
Carl Yeager (Republican), 5th Ward Council
