Mayoral candidate forum kicks of Montgomery election season

Volume 6, Issue 8, August 2007

Mayoral candidate forum kicks off Montgomery election season

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Josh Carples
Managing Editor
Capital City Free Press

The East Montgomery Neighborhood Alliance on July 24 sponsored the first appearance of the four candidates vying for the Capital City’s top job. Mayoral candidates William Boyd, Bobby Bright, Jonathon Dow and Scott Simmons were given three minutes each to explain their platform. Following their opening statement, each candidate answered questions from the audience which filled Heritage Baptist Church to capacity.

Scott Simmons:
Simmons opened by saying, "This city is in a crisis," speaking of the current level of crime in Montgomery. Simmons expounded on his claim, citing his own campaign literature which features quotes from Mayor Bright urging citizens to arm themselves and saying that he is “comfortable” with the number of officers currently in the ranks of the Montgomery Police Department.

Simmons also talked about his housing business, and how he wants to continue the Riverfront project, but stressed that downtown development is "second to protecting the city."

When asked what he would do about judges who continue to give criminals perceived leniency, he says he will "appoint judges who will not let criminals out to kill children."

Simmons also pledged to raise police salaries by ten thousand dollars a year, saying he would get the money from the annual budget increase, which he claims is about $18 million per year.

When asked about the three adult novelty shops in town, Simmons said that he doesn't think [those businesses] “have any place in Montgomery," and that he will work with the city council, making sure he is within the law on decisions regarding those businesses.

Another issue Simmons brought up was police schedules, saying that officers work a full 40-hour week, about 20 hours of overtime, and many have second jobs. He said he would put as many officers on the street as are budgeted, pointing out the perceived police staffing shortage mentioned in his flier.

Simmons did say that the downtown area has never been safer than it is now, and that safety concerns are what made Montgomery Mall drop from $70 million value in 1998 to $4 million in 2007.

Simmons ended saying that on his first day in office, he would "go down Fairview [Avenue] and clean it up."

William Boyd:
Boyd may be a first-time candidate for public office, but he has been a community activist for years. He opened by saying that he had never spoken to a group as large as the one at the forum, especially one that was "95 percent Caucasian."

Boyd asked the crowd, "How many of ya'll believe in the Bible?" The majority of hands went up. He proceeded to quote Proverbs 31:9, "Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy," saying that was his reason for running for mayor.

Boyd said that when Bright was running previously, he made a lot of promises to West Montgomery, saying that there was "one Montgomery," which Boyd says is not the case. Boyd continued by saying that West Montgomery has been "left out of the equation for 50 years," and that the police response time to the area of the city is 20 to 30 minutes in some cases.

Boyd talked about the perceived crime problem in West Montgomery, and specifically about the prostitutes seen in the Mobile Highway area. He asked the crowd what they thought would happen if those prostitutes moved to Taylor Road, getting laughter and applause from the crowd.

As Boyd closed his remarks, he talked about his service in the Army, and said that West Montgomery needs an “upgrade.” He blamed the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, along with city leadership, for driving businesses east and forgetting the west side.

Bobby Bright:
Incumbent Mayor Bobby Bright, who was first elected in 1999, unseating Emory Folmar, opened by saying, "We have crime - a lot of crime," but added that the city’s perceived crime problem was not unique for a city the size of Montgomery.

Bright praised the Montgomery Police Department, saying it was "one of the best equipped and educated police departments in the state."

Bright also said that Simmons told him just a month or two ago that he would not be running for mayor this time, and must be satisfied with how things are going. Bright defeated Simmons by a two-to-one margin in 2003.

Bright addressed Simmons’ plan to raise police officer pay by ten thousand dollars per year, saying that was "a lot of money." He also said that raising officer salaries would also mean raising the fire department employees’ salaries.

When asked about bringing jobs to Montgomery, Bright mentioned his efforts alongside state officials in regards to the Hyundai plant, and how that also included landing other tier one supplier jobs connected to Hyundai.

Bright called Montgomery the "economic engine" of Central Alabama, citing the number of people in surrounding counties who commute to Montgomery for work. "A strong community has to have a strong core," Bright said, referring to the downtown Riverfront developments.

When asked about diverting some of the money that is supposed to be funding new jails to drug rehabilation programs, Bright said the city is spending $8 million on such programs, and that part of the reason for new facilities is to take away the judicial system's excuses for letting prisoners off easier because of overcrowding.

Jonathon Dow:
Dow opened by talking about communities. He stressed how citizens need to be protected in order to be involved in their communities, citing the same safety concerns and perceived crime problems mentioned by the other candidates.

Dow also talked about the need to hold local government accountable, asking the audience, "Is this city what you want it to be at this time?" adding, "You have the power to affect change."

Along with building strong neighborhoods, Dow talked about the discrepancies in the criminal justice system, saying that a drug charge carries a $1 million bond, while a murder charge only carries a $50,000 bond. He asked what kind of message that sends.

City Councilman Willie Cook was the first one in line to ask Dow a question, and after taking time to build up to what most thought was about to be a very important question, Cook actually asked Dow, "Boxers or briefs?"

While the crowd was openly displeased with the question, Cook told Dow that he asked that as a way of telling him that "you have to be ready for anything."

Dow was the only candidate asked about term limits for elected municipal offices, to which Dow said he was in favor of a mayor not serving any more than three consecutive terms, and said that he would work with the city council to get such a term limit passed.

Montgomery County Commissioner Reed Ingram asked Dow how he would go about lowering the 10 percent sales tax in Montgomery and if he was in favor of an occupational tax.

Dow responded by noting how some Montgomery citizens have been shopping at the Chantilly Wal-Mart, which is just outside the city limits, or in Wetumpka, and how that showed that citizens were very displeased with the current sales tax. He said a lower sales tax would lead to economic growth, and that he is in favor of an occupational tax.

As Dow's time came to a close, he was asked about the enforcement of housing codes, which include the upkeep of yards and property. Dow said he would enforce tougher housing codes and stiffer penalties for repeat offenders.

After each candidate used his allocated time, the floor was opened for more questions.

Bright talked about the perceived shortage of police officers, saying that Montgomery was staffed at a level comparable to cities of similar size. He was also asked about the judges who allowed Eric Robinson to have a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to harassing his wife. Robinson allegedly killed his three children then himself in an apparent murder-suicide. Bright asked people not to be irrational, saying that he knows the facts of the case but can't disclose the information at this time. He defended the judges and said they acted within reason at the time.

A citizen who was a victim of the recent La Jolla restaurant robbery asked Bright why citizens only seem to be informed of a crime when it involves someone getting killed, to which Bright proceeded to blame the media for not giving him a chance to respond. He said he would never cover up a crime (or lie, cheat or steal), saying that crime is covered by the media, and all the city’s crime statistics are online.

There was no response when an audience member asked if DUI's were on the list.

Former Montgomery City Councilman (District 5) and current candidate Terrance Dawson asked about forming a committee to reduce the city’s sales tax, as well as the tax on food and prescription drugs, which is when Bright said that out of the 10 cent sales tax, the city only gets 3.5 cents of that total.

All the candidates were asked their opinion on discretionary funds for city council members.
Discretionary funds were available up until a point under Folmar but were discontinued and were replaced during Bright’s tenure with a capital improvement fund.

Bright made his stance against the funds earlier this year. Simmons said he was against the discretionary funds even though the mayor had them, to which Bright said, "No, I don't." Simmons claimed that discretionary funds for the mayor were labeled as "miscellaneous" in the city budget.

Dow said he supported the idea of discretionary funds as long as there were two stipulations - 1) that the projects are voted for by a majority of the city council members, and 2) the funds are not used in an election year.

Boyd said he was in favor of the funds, and that they should be used to help the neighborhood organizations that need it. Boyd also added that the mayor has such funds and said, "Tell the mayor to stand up and say I'm lying," at which point Bright stood up, pointed at Boyd and said, "He's lying."

Simmons then argued that Montgomery has been two cities for a long time, and how he would “make the city whole."

The last question from the audience was posed to everyone except Bright and inquired about how take a stand against prostitution in the city - playing off Boyd's "Taylor Road" analogy.

Boyd said the prostitutes are breaking the law, and he would have them arrested. If a judge lets them out and they continue to break the law, he said he would lock them up again and again if necessary.

Dow pointed out that if communities don't report the crime, it's the same as condoning it, and communities must take ownership by reporting the crime.

Simmons was the last to speak at the forum and again focused on the perceived shortage of police offers, saying the police force is low on manpower, that they are underpaid and overworked and not able to be everywhere. He also mentioned how some citizens that do or would report crime, say they don't feel safe once the police leave.

The 2007 Montgomery Municipal Election is set for August 28. For a complete list of candidates for mayor and for every city council seat, including campaign websites and complete voter registration information, visit our 2007 City of Montgomery Election Guide.