In case you missed it – the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce hosted a Virtual Candidates Night zoom call for all of the thirteen City Council Candidates and allowed them to answer questions and weigh in on a variety of topics! You can watch that replay, HERE. (It’s about an hour and a half in length).
The candidate attendees included Charles Bullen, Cokie Booth, Judy Hoskins, Matt Fox, Michael Guccione, Paul Bageman, Ray Turner, Sherri Jorgensen, Tonya Vece and Zachary Cummings. Candidates Christian Clinton and Gregory Deaver were unable to attend due to previous commitments. Candidate Brent Fountz did not respond. The public was invited to attend via Zoom and the meeting was facilitated by Jill Rowland-Lagan, the Chamber’s CEO.
Prior to the meeting, the public was invited to submit questions for the candidates. The topics ranged from historic preservation, to the city’s growth ordinance, to COVID-19 recovery efforts for businesses in town. The format allowed each candidate a period to introduce themselves and explain their vision for the city. This was followed by a question and answer period, in which each candidate was asked a question and then given two minutes to respond.
Candidates shared ideas for bolstering historic preservation in the community by discussing the Old Wastewater Treatment Plant on Railroad Avenue. All candidates were in favor of keeping the building intact as they discussed various uses for the property, ranging from a museum to a functional commercial property.
Several candidates discussed ideas for assisting business owners with ongoing recovery efforts due to COVID-19, with several candidates expressing their displeasure at various mandates issued by the governor. The group agreed that small businesses were vital to the economic health of the city and discussed ways to encourage new businesses relocate here.
Proposals were made regarding activities for the youth in our community. The candidates discussed the effects of the pandemic on the youth in the community. Expanding youth opportunities in the Parks and Recreation Department, as well as offering academic tutoring to help students were suggested. Multiple candidates spoke about the enhancement of civics in the curriculum.
The debate was a feisty one with candidates sharing differing points of view on many topics, and with early voting beginning soon, we highly encourage everyone to take the time to watch it!
