CLEARWATER, Fla. — It was a packed Clearwater City Council chambers Tuesday night as the public came out to hear all five city council candidates debate the issues that face their city moving forward.
First was the meet-and-greet, a chance for voters to talk one-on-one with city council candidates about what matters most to them. Next came the forum.
WATCH: Clearwater City Council candidates debate issues at community forum
Bianca Latvala and Jared Leone are running for Seat 4.
“I don’t have to be the loudest in the room, and because of that, I’m often the one that is able to find a way forward,” said Latvala.
“I’m ready on day one, and that’s what this experience that I’ve had in this community has given me,” said Jared Leone.
Mark Bunker, Kevin RT Laughlin and Sam Wilson are on the ballot for Seat five.
“I decided one more time I’ll give this a shot, and hopefully I can fight for the people,” said Bunker.
“Middle child but the third of Irish triplets, which means I grew up on the bottom of the pile, and I’ve been fighting my way out of that ever since,” said Laughlin.
“Running to represent the future generation of homeowners and folks that will be raising families here in our great city,” said Wilson.
Then came the debate, as the public listened to candidates discuss issues such as escalating utility bills, government transparency, and the relationship between the city and the Church of Scientology, specifically regarding downtown development.
“I am one of the few people willing to stand up and fight back against Scientology, not Scientologists, they are good people, but the organization sometimes, sometimes, throws it’s weight around,” said Bunker.
“Downtown is being transformed, we have to give it a chance, we need activation more than anything else, we have to be willing to work with all partners in our city and focus on business development, which brings in jobs,” said Wilson.
“We have to remain open but that comes back to the relationship, it should be a two way communication stream, and I think that non-elected officials should not be city planning and should not be changing the landscape of what an entire city looks like,” said Latvala.
“We need to work collaboratively, we need to work together with everyone, residents, businesses, our property owners, our developers, nonprofits, community groups, we need to create an active, walkable, vibrant downtown that serves everyone in our community,” said Leone.
“After all these years, I think we need to see more. I would love to see us all work together on it when these things start actually opening and are restored,” said Laughlin.
The city council election for seats four and five is August 18.
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