CRESTVIEW — Familiar concerns, including the city’s crime rate, attracting jobs with higher wages to town, and solving traffic woes, highlighted this election season’s first round of debates.
More than 75 residents attended a Monday evening mayoral candidates’ forum at Warriors Hall. Community activist Mae Retha Coleman, who organized the event, urged the audience to listen to the discussions, weigh the issues and then vote.
“I had to have this meeting because so many people have called and asked me who to vote for,” she said. “I want them to ask the candidates themselves. Then you can figure out for yourself who you're going to vote for.”
Mayor David Cadle:
Jobs: The city needs to upgrade aging infrastructure and increase vocational training for young students who aren’t college-bound to attract businesses. Support for the Bob Sikes Airport Industrial Air-Park and continuing to attract major university graduate programs are essentials.
Crime: Recent FBI reports, not meant to be used for statistical purposes, contained errors. For example, of 39 reported rapes, six were unfounded and five were outside of city jurisdiction. Crime is actually down since the 2012 police scandal. Crestview police standards now exceed state standards.
Traffic: "The TIF (tax increment financing district) may well be part of the city's future. The City Council has to determine what the financial impacts will be for the next 20 years."
Landrum “Lanny” Edwards:
Jobs: Priorities include promoting the city to businesses. “We need longtime employment. We need jobs that can be set up in the area and employ hundreds of people.”
Crime: FBI crime rates actually cover the whole Crestview area, but the rate in the city is actually down, he says. Adding jobs will lower it more. “When you improve getting people jobs, the crime rate drops.”
Traffic: Advocated completing bypasses on both the west and east sides of the city south of I-10. “The fastest thing would be to make 85 six-laned from the (Shoal River) bridge to I-10.”
Councilman Tom Gordon:
Jobs: Promoting the city as a prime place to relocate major businesses or industry should be a priority, coupled with making it easier to do business in Crestview. “If you have a hard time pulling permits, you may not want to come here.”
Crime: Gordon disputed Cadle’s assertion that the crime rate is getting lower. “I didn't talk stats; I talked numbers. Stats can be twisted, numbers can't.” He advocates “better planning, better training, better leadership” to improve the police force and increase officer pay without raising taxes.
Traffic: The P.J. Adams bypass must be a priority. “This can's been kicked down the road 20 years.” “We need more bypass roads in Crestview. We have to look at Rasberry Road. We have to look at Arena Road.”
Jeremiah Hubbard:
Jobs: People leave the Crestview area because of lack of good jobs; promoting the city to large businesses must be a priority. “We have the availability to bring industry and business in. Now is the time to be active and aggressive about going after these jobs.”
Crime: Increasing police officer pay can help the city keep good cops. “I have seen what our officers go through at the midnight hour, and I can tell you what they get paid is not enough.” Increase “community-oriented policing services.”
Traffic: Addressing road inadequacies will attract business. “Everybody gets tired of driving (State Road) 85. It tests your Christianity sometimes. …We need to look at having more four-laned highways or boulevards in Crestview.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview mayoral candidate forum focuses on crime, business and traffic