Stuart, Azam talk homelessness, crime, taxes in District 3 forum

Orlando Commissioner Robert Stuart and challenger Asima Azam debated crime, homelessness and property taxes Wednesday during the first public forum in the attimes-contentious race for the District 3 seat on the City Council.

Stuart and Azam fielded a moderator’s questions for about an hour at Grace Hopper Hall in Baldwin Park.

They weren’t asked about the race’s recent controversy over a poll that asked respondents about Azam’s religion, instead touching on a variety of neighborhood concerns.

Azam challenged Stuart on crime, arguing that Orlando’s current leaders downplay the problem of vehicle breakins and burglaries in neighborhoods such as College Park and Baldwin Park.

“To me, step one in this entire issue is acknowledging that it’s a problem and identifying where the problem is coming from,” she said, calling for a study of crime issues in District 3.

Stuart said the city has been active in community outreach aimed at deterring crime, despite not always finding much public enthusiasm.

“We have tried those things, and we have implemented them and then we have reported back to the community,” he said. “We have not seen many people come to some of our crime meetings, and I don’t know why that’s been the case.”

Both candidates spoke passionately about homelessness.

Stuart, executive director of the Christian Service Center, said the issue is a driving force in his life: “It’s what I do. It’s my living. It’s my life and my calling.”

He stressed the city’s “housing first” model, which prioritizes placing people in homes before addressing other issues.

Azam spoke about expanding mental health services and also praised permanent housing programs, which she said should be expanded.

“We need to stop focusing on building shelters,” she said.

She spoke critically of the City Council’s vote for a 17 percent property-tax increase in 2014, saying residents have told her their tax bills went up, but services declined.

Stuart called the vote his “most difficult decision” as a commissioner but said the revenue rebuilt the city’s reserves.

And while Stuart said the city has made an “incredible amount of progress” on improving its permitting system through online tools, Azam said business owners with whom she has met “do not feel like it’s going great, so there’s work to be done.”

Stuart is seeking a fourth