Four of the six candidates competing for Prichard’s District 2 City Council seat squared off at a candidates forum held at St. James AME Church, laying out their positions on the issues that had come to define the race.
The seat was open after Earline Martin-Harris abruptly resigned amid legal questions about her residency. Martin-Harris had faced a challenge alleging that she actually lived in Daphne rather than Prichard and therefore could not serve on the City Council.
Who took part
Participating in the two-hour forum were Severia Campbell-Morris, president of the United Concerned Citizens of Prichard; Gwen Williams, a city retiree and longtime public library official; Sheila Poole, a self-employed real estate investor and office manager; and Paula Blevins, a state constable with experience in school counseling.
Two candidates, Carlton Wallace and Tommy James Bendolph, did not attend. Supporters of Wallace, a local barber, circulated fliers on cars outside while the forum went on inside the church.
The water board takeover
Much of the discussion centered on the future of the Prichard Water Works & Sewer Board. Campbell-Morris, a leading advocate for dissolving the board, said the “will of the people” had already been expressed when voters approved dissolution and a takeover by the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System, or MAWSS.
“People are not coming to the city of Prichard because of the water bills,” she said. “Businesses are not coming and people are leaving the city of Prichard because of the high water bills.”
Others were more cautious. Blevins said many questions remained unanswered, including whether the change might ultimately cost residents more. Poole said she respected the referendum’s outcome but worried about replacing lost revenue. Williams objected outright to handing over what she called a $50 million asset. “What do we gain? Nothing,” she said.
Jobs, land and schools
None of the candidates supported a tax increase, though Williams said residents should have a say if sales taxes were ever to rise. On economic development, Blevins pointed to recent additions such as a Love’s Truck Stop & Country Store and urged a focus on the Alabama Village and Whistler areas. District 2, candidates noted, had about 100 acres of unused land that some believed could be put to productive use.
Campbell-Morris urged leaders to stay current on grants and state programs, suggesting the city use a land bank and the Alabama Trust Fund to clean up abandoned housing. Poole called for enhancing historic districts and floated the idea of an extended-stay hotel, while also proposing re-entry programs for former offenders.
Education drew strong feelings as well. Several candidates wanted a middle school in Prichard, noting that middle-school students were often bused to schools in nearby cities such as Satsuma. “We can fight to get a middle school right here in our city,” Blevins said.
Policing and Airbus
The candidates were also asked about Mike Rowland, the city’s new interim police chief, who had stepped in after the previous chief left for a post on the East Coast. None offered a full endorsement, with several saying they wanted to know more about him first. “I would not vote for this person without a thorough investigation,” Campbell-Morris said.
Looking outward, some candidates argued Prichard should be doing more to attract Airbus-related suppliers, with the aircraft maker then building a $600 million final assembly plant in Mobile expected to be fully operational by 2016. Williams questioned why Prichard had not pursued such opportunities more aggressively. “I want a seat for Prichard at that table,” she said.