Candidates for Carroll’s city council answered questions submitted by the public at last week’s Carroll Chamber sponsored forum. Citing communities like Denison and Jefferson which have backed many projects to keep their cities moving forward, while Carroll has voted down many projects, the question asked of the candidates, “Can Carroll lay claim to being a progressive community still?” Candidate Misty Boes who is running for the 2nd Ward seat answered first saying Carroll is still a progressive, growing city. She says the community is following the right path by continuing to grow its infrastructure and bringing people into the community, however, she says Carroll’s growth doesn’t stop there.
2nd Ward incumbent Tom Tait singled out Jefferson specifically saying construction of a railroad bypass was a good thing and the newly built casino is “probably looked at as a positive.” Tait added Carroll will receive part of $275,000 from the casino which can only help make good amenities already offered in Carroll better.
4th Ward candidate Barb Toohey responded to the question saying she would classify Carroll as a progressive community, but that Carroll can be more.
She added that participation with the Carroll Area Development Corporation, the county and private sector, maintaining a friendly environment were also measures the city can pursue. Incumbent 4th Ward councilwoman Carolyn Siemen called Carroll a regional hub, but it’s not because of city government rather the private industry. Siemen says what the city has done during her 10 years of service on the council is due to strong leadership and that they’ve worked effectively together on a multitude of projects citing over $11 million which have been invested in the city since 2002 when the local option sales tax was passed.
Running unopposed, candidate for mayor current councilman Eric Jensen, also answered the question saying Carroll continues to be progressive and is not regressive. He stated the city is envied by surrounding communities in other counties citing Jefferson and Audubon specifically. Jensen says Carroll has put itself in a stable position and is able to keep itself there through fiscal responsibility. The full audio and video from the forum can be found at our website under the Steaming tab in the “Live Video” section. This specific question was not posed to at-large candidates Mike Curtis and Brandon Vonnahme.
