By Mike Moore
Journal Times | Posted: Monday, March 23, 2009 12:00 am
RACINE - Mayoral candidates tried to separate themselves from the large pack Monday night, answering questions on topics from crime to the environment during a candidate forum at Gateway Technical College.
All but one of the 11 candidates for mayor participated in the forum organized by Community for Change, an organizational outgrowth of last year's campaign for President Barack Obama. Lesia Hill-Driver has been out of town attending to a family emergency.
The mayoral candidates are: Jaimie Charon, John Dickert, Jody Harding, Alderman Greg Helding, former County Supervisor Hill-Driver, former County Supervisor Raymond Fay, former Alderman Pete Karas, former state Sen. Kim Plache, Alderman and County Supervisor Q.A. Shakoor, II, Alderman Jim Spangenberg and state Rep. Robert Turner. The primary is April 7, and the election is May 5.
About 200 people filled the auditorium, and another 40 watched via video feed in an overflow room down the hall. Questions were submitted by local community organizations.
Here's a sampling of the responses:
Foreclosures and housing
Spangenberg said the city needs to offer consumers more education about their options.
"A lot of people don't understand how they got here, where they're going," Spangenberg said.
Plache said Racine needs to spread the word that it's a "lower-priced valley" for housing with better deals than communities north and south.
Image
Bank executive Charon said the city isn't in as bad shape as some suggest. Besides improving the economy, he said Racine needs to give off a positive image and choose leaders who exemplify that.
"Racine, we all know why we're here," he said.
Environment
Karas said he supports the climate change compact former Mayor Gary Becker signed.
"It's one thing to sign onto it. It's another to act on it," Karas said, pledging to form a citizens' board to work on energy and environmental issues.
Spangenberg said the city should consider having its bus fleet run on natural gas.
Jobs
Turner said the city should focus on maintaining existing employers and encouraging them to grow. If elected, he plans to meet with small businesses periodically to assess their needs.
Shakoor said the city should do more to promote its brownfield sites and industrial parks as good spots for new employers.
Fighting poverty
Helding said jobs are the key to preventing poverty. Even small ideas can add up, he said, suggesting an entrepreneur could be encouraged to take the many chopped-down trees and sell them for firewood.
Plache said poverty often stems from people who are thrust into adulthood early because they had children. Programs that help stimulate babies' brains help make sure children get the start they need, she said.
"If teachers had kids coming into school in that position, we'd all be a lot better off," Plache said.
Gay and lesbian center
Asked if he supported the city's decision to approve a gay and lesbian community center, real estate agent Dickert said yes.
"There's only one thing we should be discriminating against, and that's gangs and drugs," Dickert said.
Gang problems
Karas said he would work with state legislators to strengthen laws for background checks and to microchip banned guns.
Accountant Harding, running for the first time, said police are often more inclined to simply interrupt drug deals than to arrest the offenders. That's partly due to a lack of prison space, and that should be addressed, she said.
Helding said churches and families, not government, are best-suited to give youths "a moral compass." He also pledged to increase efforts to eliminate drug houses and fight gangs.
Parks
Karas pushed for more improvements along the Root River. He said he'd like to see a dog park.
"Why should people have to go to Caledonia to walk their dog?" he said.
Taxes and budgets
To keep taxes low and still provide needed services, Fay said the city should continue to utilize fees as long as they're controlled. The city's grant writer also helps bring in funds to offset the local tax levy, he said.
Diversity
Turner said everyone needs to be involved firsthand in city decision-making. Engaging people is one way to stop the brain drain of talented young adults, he said.
"We're losing that talent," he said, "and I think that's why Racine is stagnant right now."
The forum's host, Kelly Gallaher, said candidate responses would appear soon on the group's Web site, http://www.communityforchange.com.