The first of three election forums for the upcoming May Primary was held Wednesday night at the Frankfort Middle School Cafetorium, Between 70 and 75 individuals came out to hear the viewpoints of the candidates running in the contested races for the Frankfort City Council.
Those six candidates included incumbent Clarence Warthan and Gena Carson in District 1, Michael Brite and Cory Boyles in District 3, and incumbent David Hussey and Brandt Fuller in District 5.
Hussey was asked his thoughts on the forum.
“I think it was great,” he said. “The turnout was good. Participation by the candidates was good. We just enjoyed ourselves answering the questions and hopefully we brought some information to the community that wasn’t out there before.”
Fuller concurred with his opponent on May 7.
“I thought it went really well,” he said. “I got my messages across. I thought overall that everybody did a good job.”
A lot of the forum focused on how much debt the City of Frankfort is or isn’t in plus a growing divide within the community.
“I think we need to have a different perspective,” said Carson. “We need to be more financially conservative and we need accountability. We need to take care of what we have and we need to respect existing residents. Our city is in a great divide. We need to bridge the gap in the community. Some are happy and some aren’t.”
Carson cited a state website that says Frankfort is $78 million in debt.
Warthan responded by saying that the city is not in debt.
Holding the latest budget numbers on the city’s finances, Warthan said, “You can take this to the bank. We are making smart choices and we are not wasting money.”
Brite is experiencing the political realm for the first time.
“I love Frankfort and the direction it’s going,” said Brite. “I’m not afraid to say it but I’m a big fan of Mayor (Chris) McBarnes.
“Amenities are important,” he added. “i’m getting tired of taking my kids and family to Lafayette and Lebanon for activities like the pool and the park.”
Hussey said he and his family moved here from Bismarck, North Dakota.
“My family and myself started a business called Apex Security,” he said. “I want to see Frankfort continue to grow. I’m not going anywhere.”
Both Fuller and Hussey had a word for the voters.
“I would just like to see the community get more involved,” said Fuller. “They need to come out to the city council meetings so they can have their questions answered.”
Hussey echoed Fuller’s thoughts.
“People need to get out and vote and also stay educated through all four years of a term not just when it comes to election time,” he said. “If that happens, we’ll all be better off.”
The second forum will be held Thursday night and feature the four candidates for the two at-large positions. Candidates for those positions are incumbent Eric Woods and challengers Isac Chavez, Megan Sheets and J.J. Tate.
The third and final forum will be a mayoral forum where incumbent Chris McBarnes faces Frankfort City Councilman Lewis Wheeler. McBarnes will be seeking a third term, while Wheeler currently represents District 3 on the city council.
Both forums will be held at the middle school and start at 6 p.m.