MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — Exactly two weeks from Tuesday, Madison residents will make their voices heard at the ballot boxes, and the Republican Women of Madison held one final forum for the candidates to speak publicly to constituents together.
While several positions are up for election, many are most concerned with one race: mayor.
Paul Finley is not running for reelection after serving as the Mayor of Madison for 12 years. The three candidates running to hold the position next are City Councilwoman Ranae Bartlett, Community Activist Margi Daly and City Administrator Steve Smith.
The three candidates had the opportunity to discuss a number of topics that voters are interested in, from the growth of the city’s population, tax amounts and supporting the schools.
When asked about what issue is their top priority, the three candidates varied.
“I keep hearing the same thing over and over: traffic and roads,” Bartlett said.
“I’m looking to address transparency,” Daly said.
“I think the most important issue to address is roads. Time and time again, that’s people’s number one concern,” Smith said.
When asked how they plan to tackle that top priority, each candidate said they’re ready to get it done on day one.
“Madison residents pay enough in taxes. The problem is it’s going to Montgomery and D.C., and not coming back to North Alabama,” Bartlett said. “I’m gonna work with our delegation to make sure we get more of our hard-earned dollars back here to Madison.”
“As mayor, I will make the meetings transparent. I will do live streaming,” Daly said. “As busy as we are and young families, they should be able, with the technology, there should be no problem that, you know, people could get online and watch the meetings.”
“We’ve already got a half-cent that’s supposed to sunset in 2027,” Smith said. “And I just wanna extend that sunset and share it with our schools, but also apply it to our roads.”
Serving a city also means serving the needs of constituents. When asked about the line of communication between the mayor and the people, all three said an open-door policy is vital.
“I’m certainly hearing a lot by meeting them personally, going door to door. And I have a lot of volunteers helping me canvass neighborhoods to hear the issues that most concern them,” Bartlett said.
“I will be there five days a week. My door will be open,” Daly said. “Anybody can come in. I will also have a more constituent-friendly city hall.”
“I think you address the needs one at a time. We’ll have an open-door policy,” Smith said. “People can reach out and come any time that we’re available to meet. And we’ll make a list and knock them out one by one.”
The election is on August 26. There are several city council seats also up for contested election.
The post Final forum for Madison mayoral candidates two weeks before the election appeared first on WHNT.
