Council candidates face off in forum
Candidates for Bella Vista City Council got a chance to face each other in a forum Thursday.
Of the 10 candidates running for three seats, eight showed up. James Wozniak, running for re-election for Ward 2, Position 1 had a medical appointment, and George Tracy, running for Ward 1, Position 1 was absent and unheard from.
The event was sponsored by the Bella Vista Public Library.
During the forum, candidates
were asked to introduce themselves and discuss their candidacy, and then two questions were asked — what Bella Vista’s biggest challenges are and what specific steps the city should take. Each candidate had two minutes to respond.
The forum was then opened to public questions, including:
• How Bella Vista should rebrand itself;
• Why so many candidates suggest bringing in new restaurants when the restaurants at the POA’s country clubs have done so poorly in the past;
• How the POA and city should divide labor in joint efforts;
• How the city should get water to areas not governed by the POA, because the POA cannot sell water to nonmembers.
The candidates’ responses are on Pages 8-10 of today’s Weekly Vista.
The forum was moderated by Susan Santos, president of the Bella Vista Library Foundation.
Santos said it was good to give voters a chance to meet their candidates.
Mayor Peter Christie said that, while he was disappointed at the forum’s turnout, he thought the questions were good and the responses were interesting.
He was also glad, he said, to see several candidates appreciative of the trails.
As for candidates, he said, “Some candidates had good knowledge of the situation,” he said. “Some of them will have to do their homework if they get elected.”