Two neighborhood organizations will host candidate forums for the three City Council races, beginning Wednesday with the Ward 4 forum at Orange Terrace Community Center.
Neighborhood Groups Schedule Three Candidate Forums Starting Wednesday
Two neighborhood organizations will host candidate forums for the three City Council races, beginning Wednesday with the Ward 4 forum at Orange Terrace Community Center.
A Mission Grove Neighborhood Alliance sign at Alessandro Boulevard and Mission Grove Parkway. The organization is co-hosting three candidate forums for City Council races in Wards 2, 4 and 6. Note: An address has been removed from the sign to avoid confusion about forum locations.
Mission Grove Neighborhood Alliance and Residents for Responsible Representation are organizing forums for Wards 2, 4 and 6, which will elect representatives in the June 2 primary.
The organizations provided candidates with two questions in advance focused on development and community engagement, Brian Kerr, Mission Grove Neighborhood Alliance vice chair, told The Gazette.
The first asks how candidates would balance economic growth in industrial, warehouse and high-density housing development with neighborhood character, traffic management and quality of life, including how they would respond to state housing mandates that limit local control.
The second references the city's Community Engagement Policy adopted two years ago and asks candidates whether they agree or disagree with criticism that City Council has not followed the policy and has restricted public engagement and transparency.
"By providing these complex questions in advance, we are giving candidates the chance to offer real, actionable solutions," said Brian Kerr, Mission Grove Neighborhood Alliance vice chair.
The forums will include additional questions submitted by residents via comment cards.
Twelve of the thirteen candidates have confirmed participation, Kerr said: five from Ward 2, four from Ward 4 and three from Ward 6.
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