The Carroll Chamber of Commerce hosted its public forum for candidates running in the upcoming city/school elections last (Tuesday) night at the Carroll Rec Center. The forum was moderated by Trish Roberts and split into two parts. The first half was focused on the school board races, while the second half was geared toward the city council. One of the questions posed in the latter half was about the trend in recent local elections for candidates to run as part of a coalition. Jerry Fleshner, the incumbent mayoral candidate, says it is not something he had previously considered, but he sees no issue with it.
Dee Svensson, who is also running to be Carroll’s mayor, says a coalition just brings like-minded individuals together who have similar visions on how the city should operate, and voters still decide in the end.
At-Large Candidate Jeff Cayler, who is running independently, says that forming a coalition was not something he had previously considered and favors the idea of independent council members.
John Lawson, who is also campaigning for the open at-large seat on the council, says running for office can be an expensive proposition, and combining resources helps candidates get more bang for their buck.
Kyle Bauer, the Ward 3 incumbent, previously ran as part of a loose coalition in his 2021 election win but is running independently this time around.
Tage Henkelman, who is also running for the Ward 3 seat, says running together does not mean they have to vote in lockstep if elected.
This was just one of many questions posed during Tuesday’s forum, and Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from the candidates in upcoming newscasts. Video from Tuesday’s Carroll Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum is included below.
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