As
the election nears for the City of Prichard, candidates for the office of mayor
answered questions from students which are teenagers about why they should be
elected Prichard next mayor.
Five
candidates grace the stage to participate in the forum and answered those questions;
they all have a desire to be mayor of a struggling city that is desperate for
change and growth.
Prichard
is facing tough choices, with the poor quality of communities, major
infrastructure problems, lack of revenue, pension problems and an outrageous
crime rate.
The
forum was hosted Tuesday night, at Vigor High School on Wilson Ave. Even though
the students cannot vote in the upcoming election, they wanted answers from potential
leaders.
The
candidates that are seeking to become Prichard next mayor are, Severia Campbell
Morris, a community activist; Troy Ephriam, a current city councilman and
former council President; Teresa Fox Bettis, executive director of the Center
for Fair Housing in Mobile; and Charles Harden, a former Prichard mayor.
One
student asked; what you would do, if elected, to tackle the problems of vacant
homes, crime and a dwindling city budget?
This is how the
candidates responded:
Bettis
referred to her work experience, where she said she has learned to build
relationships in the commu
nity and bridges with other agencies and government
entities.
Ephriam said that his
first goal, and second and third, would be to "bring revenue to the city
of Prichard."
He
said he would accomplish this by hiring a marketing company and an experienced
economic development professional capable of identifying the city’s prime
industrial and business real-estate and courting businesses to occupy that
property and put it to productive use.
Harden spent much of his
time touting his accomplishments during his tenure as mayor from 2000-2004.
When he left, he said, the city paid far less for its garbage pickup than it
does today and had nearly twice as many police officers.
Harden
said he opposes the city’s return to bankruptcy, which Davis has said is
necessary to shield the city from its insolvent pension fund. Were he to regain
his seat in City Hall, Harden said, he would see that all retirees are paid and
keep the city out of bankruptcy.
Campbell Morris during her
answers: "I will represent all of the people of the city of Prichard, not
just some of the people." The current administration is too often hostile
to residents and their opinions, she said. A community activist, she also said
that the people need to band together to solve problems like litter. If each
person took responsibility for their own property, the streets would be litter
free, she said.
A
longtime anti-advocate of the Prichard Water Works and Sewer Board, which she
blames for the city’s high rates, Campbell Morris used some of her time urging
residents to vote in favor of a proposed takeover of the Prichard system by the
Mobile Area Water and Sewer System. A referendum on the proposed takeover will
be on the November ballot.
Davis said, given the
choice between funding city services and propping up the pension, he opted to
fund city services and use bankruptcy to protect the city from the pension
liability.
The
candidates fielded more questions during the political forum, as they journey
to become the next mayor of Prichard.
The
election will be held on Tuesday August 28, 2012 from 7am-7pm. All citizens in
Prichard are urged to participate in the upcoming elections. In order for
change to take place, a vote must be cast in favor of change.
The
political beacon made no endorsement for mayor of Prichard, however I decided
if a runoff is necessary we will make a formal endorsement. Here are the candidates
I did endorse in the upcoming election.
About
15 students worked to put on this forum under the guidance of the League of
Women Voters and Emerging Change Makers Network as part of Vigor High’s Civic
Engagement Project.
