Candidates face off in forum

City Council and mayoral candidates squared off Saturday in a forum designed to help voters determine whose campaign should merit their vote.

In cooperation with Maricopa Women in Business & the Tribune newspaper, The Maricopa Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2008 Mayoral, City Council Electorial forum. Residents had the chance to hear from the candidates between 2 and 5 p.m. at the University of Arizona Agricultural Center.

About half of 100 chairs remained empty which had been set up in anticipation of seating about 80 registrants who signed up and any last-minute walks ins who might show up for the three-hour event.

Those who attended, however, seemed engaged and interested in what those at the podium had to say.

That included Oliver Anderson and Hermina Anderson, parents of Maricopa’s out-going mayor, Kelly Anderson.

I think it’s too bad there weren’t more people here,” Oliver Anderson said.

His wife added that listening to what the candidates had to say reinforced the choices she’d made before the forum.

“Now isn’t the time to make a decision,” Oliver Anderson agreed. “People should have been doing their research and already made up their minds.”

The mood at the forum was mostly congenial, with City Council candidates courteously agreeing – or disagreeing – with their opponents. Voters will be tasked with choosing three council members from among the following who are running for their first term: Marquisha Griffin, Robert Lewis, Camerino Lopez, Marty Hermanson and Carl Diedrich and Marvin Brown; and incumbants Will Dunn and Kelly Haddad, who are seeking re-election.

The mayoral race was a tad more heated, although neither Anthony Smith or Michael Godsey took things beyond pointing out his opponent’s supposed weak points and putting a positive spin on whatever accusations had been directed their way.

Smith is the only mayoral candidate whose name will appear on the ballot. Godsey was the second of two write-in candidates to register after the deadline to be included on the ballot. The first write-in candidate, Jim Hull, dropped out three weeks into his campaign.

Information tables lined the walls in the meeting room at the event. Each candidate displayed his or her own collection of promotional items from buttons, pens, business cards, brochures and more.

More information on what the candidates had to say along with their final word to the voters will appear in the March/April edition of 85239 The Magazine.

For a collection of our previous and continuing election coverage please visit our elections page.

Photo by RuthAnn Hogue