The Eastern Shore Republican Women (ESRW) hosted a candidate forum on Thursday for all council candidates in Fairhope. 1819 News editor-in-chief Jeff Poor moderated.
ESRW president Judy Barlow said the group was happy to provide a chance for constituents to hear from the candidates. All but one candidate, Place 3 incumbent Jimmy Conyers, were in attendance. Barlow said Conyers was disappointed he was unable to make the forum due to prior family commitments.
In the end, Barlow said the forum was a success with many candidates showing they are ready to lead the city.
"As Fairhope continues with record growth, we wanted to hear from the candidates their vision for the city," said Barlow. "How do you keep the character of Fairhope while managing growth and development, their plans for public safety and emergency services, and how they would make the tough decisions while governing the city?"
Place 1 incumbent Jack Burrell started by saying Fairhope is where it is now because of his part in city matters. Burrell had a part in five moratoriums on development. He has also taken part in preserving hundreds of acres in Fairhope.
"I don't just talk, I take action," said Burrell. "I always have and I always will with your support."
Troy Vickers, who is challenging Burrell, said his experience as a civil engineer and his appreciation for Fairhope would be beneficial in the position.
For Place 2, Joshua Gammon is challenging incumbent Corey Martin.
"I'm really running to make sure that this special place stays the special place," Gammon said.
Martin said he is defending his seat because, after five years on the council, he wants to continue to see Fairhope thrive.
Place 3 challenger Tracy Gatewood, a commercial real estate broker, said she wants to advocate for small and mid-sized business owners.
"Our brand in downtown Fairhope attracts a lot of money and a lot of tourists come in just to shop in Fairhope and to go to the waterfront and I think it's a great asset that we have there, but I think it can be even better."
All three candidates for Place 4 participated in the forum.
Howell Gibbens said he has seen the growth of Fairhope since he moved there in 1978. He wants things to slow down. Gibbens said he is using the same campaign slogan this year as he did when he ran in 2020.
"I've kept that slogan this time because I think the problem is still the same," Gibbens said. "You hear it a lot. You're going to hear it a lot today about too much growth and too much development."
David Luc said he wants to be on the council to ensure Fairhope keeps its charm.
"We're quickly losing that charm," he said. "And there are things that we can do to slow that. We can't, of course, turn back time, but there are things we can do to kind of slow that erosion of what we have here."
Incumbent Jay Robinson said it has been an honor to serve the city. He said he uses his education and experience as an attorney to provide thoughtful and steady leadership.
"Ultimately, my goal is to always make the right decision that considers the long-term best interest of Fairhope in this community," Robinson said.
Place 5 council member Kevin Boone is not running for re-election. Andrea Faust Booth and George Ferniany are vying for that spot.
Booth wanted to make it clear that she has no hidden agenda and that she supports the current council and Mayor Sherry Sullivan.
"My agenda is my love for Fairhope," she said. "And I'm running just to put everybody at ease. Everybody seems to be panicking, so I decided to run for City Council to find out what's going on."
Ferniany, who has lived in Fairhope for nearly 28 years, said he is running to bring fresh ideas and perspective to the council.
Topics covered in the forum included public safety, governance and decision making, growth and development and the vision for the city's future.
Most candidates agreed that the state of public safety in Fairhope is in a good place. The idea of a paid fire department was discussed, with many saying that it could help with response times.
Martin said the council has already thought about a fire department. Further, he said a new fire truck is on the way, thanks to impact fees from development.
"We do put burdens on the developers," said Martin. "We have other people and other developers that are putting fire out on the east side now. So, those things are happening as far as impact fees and development and that's part of the growth."
Burrell said the volunteer fire department has an ISO rating of 4, saving residents on insurance premiums while saving the city $8 to $10 in salaries.
When it comes to making decisions in difficult situations, Vickers said he wants to ensure transparency and make sure residents are fully aware of the inner workings of the government.
"Transparency is when you know what's going on day in and day out with your city council and that's one of the things that I will bring and work on is transparency," said Vickers.
Gammon pledged to hold quarterly town hall meetings to hear from constituents. Martin said that in a position of leadership, it is important to listen to both sides of an issue and find a legal middle ground.
However, as a "common sense conservative," Gatewood said she doesn't believe decisions made concerning the Fairhope Public Library have represented common ground.
As to the library issue, Gibbens stated that he has spoken to constituents, and many of them support free speech while also wanting to protect children. He said he was previously on the side of people wearing yellow library stickers and pushing to keep books where they were. However, he said that side "pushed" him to the other side with "their ugliness." He now considers them bullies.
Robinson, who has been in the middle of disagreements and complex topics, said as a council member, he has to consider legal, moral, ethical and financial ramifications.
Ferniany said he has never been in a government position, but as a businessman, he would consider how other successful cities handle difficult situations.
On the topic of growth, Ferniany said he would like to propose a long-range planning department.
"Their job would be to look at the 10 to 20 years out," Ferniany said. "And possibly passing a concurrence ordinance, which I've seen other cities have done. A concurrence ordinance is something that doesn't allow development unless certain requirements have been met and have been studied."
Luc said the city's comprehensive plan should be treated as a living document and updated on a continuing basis.
Gibbens proposed the idea of setting up a legal defense fund to help the city fight back against lawsuits on developments. He said while he wants the growth to slow, he wants to "take the foot off the gas" and not "slam on the brakes."
Martin said a lot of the things other candidates suggested were things the council is already doing.
Gammon said that while many things are being done, the city has also created too many exceptions. He said there is a reason there are regulations, and the city needs to follow those.
Vickers said the current building moratorium needs to remain in place until infrastructure problems are solved. He said the city needs to go the legislature and fight to raise impact fees. Burrell agreed, saying the city could go to Montgomery to increase impact fees. However, he said Alabama is a "property rights state," and that is evident by the number of lawsuits the city is currently facing for fighting developments.
The candidates also gave their vision of what Fairhope will be in the future.
Barlow said the Eastern Shore Republican Women were happy to offer the forum for Fairhope. The ESRW held another forum last month for Spanish Fort. The next forum will be at Daphne City Hall on August 19. More information is available online.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
