The first question mayoral candidates in the upcoming city election were asked during Thursday night’s forum was hypothetical in nature: If $10 million fell out of the sky into the city’s coffers, what would you do with it?
The answers provided by challengers Bo Jarrett and Glenn Lautzenhiser and incumbent Robert Smith yielded previews of what would be a common theme during the Columbus-Lowndes League of Voters candidates forum that included not only the mayoral candidates but candidates for all of the city’s contested council race. Economic issues, ranging from street improvements to expanded services to economic development dominated the discussions.
During the forum, the mayoral candidates were given time for opening remarks before answering five questions and making a brief closing statement. The eight city council candidates participating operated under a similar format with less time and had to answer four questions of his choosing. Ward 5 council candidate Kenneth McFarland was the only candidate who did not attend.
Faced with the likely possibility of the need for budget adjustments in light of decreased sales tax collections, the candidates were asked whether they would favor increasing millage or cutting services.
“I wouldn’t attempt to try to cut any jobs or cut any services out of this town, and I would really hate to raise millage, but … it doesn’t add up to spend more money and not have money,” Jarrett said. “I think we ought to work with our tourism board and try to get more activity into town. I keep hearing … the complaint about our coliseum. We’re fixing to spend $2 million on a convention center and I can’t see that. I think it’s outdated and $2 million isn’t going to make a difference one way or the other. I think that money could be put to better use. As far as the tax rates, I would really hate to pay more taxes because I sure pay a bunch now.”
Lautzenhiser said he would not be in favor of a millage increase.
“As for what we need to cut if we had to do that, I would rely on the council, seek their input and I would seek also the input of our department heads,” he said. “I think we need to try to be as creative as possible, but I just do not think at this time that we can put any additional tax burden on the citizens.”
Smith said his first action would be to meet with the city school district and discuss reducing its 65.87 millage rate but did not specify whether he would call for a tax increase or cutting services. That decision, he said, would be a difficult one that ultimately fall before the mayor and council during the budgeting process.
“Regardless of who is elected mayor, being the mayor is not a one-man show. It’s a team effort,” Smith said. “The mayor can make all the recommendations he wants to make, but you’ve got to have at least three votes because we all know the mayor is not voting unless there is a 3-3 vote. As far as raising the millage or cutting service, that would be a difficult decision that the mayor and the council during the budgeting process have to make.”
Moderator Steve Rogers also asked candidates about the city’s ongoing annexation process, philosophies on consolidating business networks and ideas to increase economic development
Lautzenhiser said he favored carefully planned annexation of county land.
“I’m a great believer in annexation, not only for Columbus but for other municipalities as well. However, there is a practical consideration and that is if we can afford to,” Lautzenhiser said. “I think the practical consideration is what would it cost us and what would be returned to the city. I think we need to think it through thoroughly and I think we need to seek the advice of not only the city council, but department heads and anybody else who can weigh in on that subject.”
Smith said he would not be in favor of combining Columbus Main Street, the Columbus/Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau and Columbus Chamber of Commerce under one umbrella because each arm can remain effective separately.
“I think each entity should remain separate because each entity serves a specific purpose within the city of Columbus and Lowndes County,” Smith said.
When asked what the single biggest thing the mayor and council could do to boost retail development in the city, Jarrett said he would work with the businesses the city already has and diversify the amount of establishments available in different areas of the city.
“It is a free enterprise world, but we don’t need three chicken places in one spot,” he said. “I think we need to spread things around. You can’t just make everybody move, but you can come in, work with them and say, ‘How would you feel about moving to this area? We need to develop this area more.’ I think the whole thing needs to be rearranged.”
Council candidates make pitches
Candidates for city council were also asked whether they would cut public works or raise millage in the event of a budget shortfall. Incumbent Ward 4 Councilman Fred Stewart and challenger Maurice Webber said they would evaluate the budget and see if cuts could be made, while Marty Turner said he would never vote to cut any city services.
“If you’ve got the public works and they’ve got to cover certain areas … and you cut the labor, it’s highly impossible that we’re going to be able to serve the city,” Stewart said. “I wouldn’t want to raise the tax, but I think we could talk to the mayor and city council to see what is best and strategize.”
“Budgets are not set in stone,” Webber said. “There are several areas you could probably cut in. To name just one or two I don’t think would be fair.”
“Certain wards are under-served,” Turner said. “I would probably raise the millage.”
Moderator Scott Colom mentioned the Mississippi Board of Education giving the Columbus School District a ‘D’ grade in a recent assessment. Candidates were asked how they would grade the district. Most agreed the district got the grade it deserved and called for more parental involvement with children and teachers.
“I would have to agree with the grade they’re getting,” incumbent Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem said. “Children go home and they have grown-up roles and then they have to come back to school and be children, and we have to change that. You have to be more supportive of their needs and their concerns. We have to be more involved. When you’re called to those PTA meetings, you need to go. It’s easy to point blame, but until we get involved and change conditions and the circumstances, that’s the only way the grades are going to change.”
“(The grade) gives us room for improvement, and we really need to improve,” incumbent Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens said. “We need to come up with something from a parent standpoint. I believe it starts at home. It’s not the teachers.”
Mickens’ challenger, Susan Mackay, also said the district deserved a ‘D’.
“We have some of the best facilities that any town could ask for. We have wonderful schools that are magnet schools that are geared toward certain education levels,” Mackay said. “The students are able to pick what school they want to go to, so if the students are picking what school they need to go to, that means those students should have some interest there.”
Candidates were also asked their opinions about role of the CVB and what they would change about the board.
“If you look at the history of the CVB, they roughly get about $1.2 million a year,” Ward 6 incumbent Bill Gavin said. “The criticism for that is ‘What have you got to show for it? What can I walk up to and touch and put my hands on that the CVB has done for the city?’ I think the CVB needs to come together with a plan of what they’re going to fund and make that a citywide, community effort to find some common ground.”
Gavin’s challenger, Whirllie Byrd, a CVB board member herself, admitted there is a lot of infighting among members and agreed that it should have a tangible goal to work toward.
“The board is in disarray. It’s nothing to be proud of,” she said. ” It’s a fact of life. I believe in order to turn this around, the CVB should have … something besides the 400,000 square feet we’re sitting in,” Byrd said. “We must have a civic center to have formal and informal events. The CVB must pull itself together and that’s where the council can come in to ensure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, which is to bring in tourism.”
The primary election will be held May 7, followed by the June 4 general election.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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