SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council is up for re-election in three weeks and residents will soon decide who will lead the city for the next few years. On Monday at the Norvell Theater, the Rowan Chamber of Commerce held the Salisbury City Council candidate forum where council members and challengers sat side-by-side on stage to answer questions that were submitted by Salisbury Post readers.

Mayor Karen Alexander, who is running unopposed, Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield, and council Members Harry McLaughlin, Anthony Smith and David Post all attended the forum. Of the three challengers currently on the ballot, only Shanikka Gadson-Harris appeared. President of the Rowan Chamber Elaine Spalding said the other challengers, Gemale Black and Rasheed Hasan, sent her emails the day of the forum advising that they would not be able to attend.

The forum was moderated by Rowan Chamber Governmental Affairs Volunteer Mark Lewis. The night began with each candidate making a one-minute opening statement followed by having one minute to answer the questions that were provided. The candidates were not provided with the questions beforehand. At the end, the candidates were given one minute for closing remarks.

Here were the following questions that the candidates were asked:

• A city of Salisbury small business grant for $60,000 was approved in the current budget. However, it has not yet been deployed. If elected, what would you do to help expedite this grant?
• What are the most important things you plan to do as a city council member to help attract new business and retain existing businesses in our community?
• Would you support economic development incentives that include being a good corporate citizen? For example, if a business is awarded incentives, they will be encouraged to get involved in the community by joining the chamber and by participating with the United Way?
• What are the three most important things that you can do as a city council member to encourage the entrepreneurial startups in Rowan County?
• With the creation of the beautiful Bell Tower Green Park and the development of many downtown residents, the chamber is advocating for a downtown parking deck to relieve the pressure of on-street parking in our downtown and provide long-term parking for residents. What is your position on the construction of a downtown parking deck?
• While the council is focused on monitoring and assisting our homeless population, a similar, but much different issue is the proliferation of panhandlers across our city’s major intersections. What do you propose be done to address panhandling in our city?

“All of our questions are about business,” Post said. “That’s kind of interesting. A few years ago, I got four questions about a statute and now I’m getting questions about economic development.”

When it comes to attracting and retaining businesses, Smith said that it comes down to the competency of local government to get businesses to settle in Salisbury. Sheffield wanted to center in “regionally” and reinforce “connectivity” for new businesses, but also invest in the local workforce for existing businesses.

When the potential parking deck was mentioned, Alexander showed support for it, but said it would be “market driven.” For her, the Empire Hotel project takes priority and that will contribute to making a parking deck more financially feasible. Post shared that the city has lost businesses in the past due to limited parking options and it would take a fully conceived plan to make it a reality.

Gadson-Harris said that she is from the Bronx and is used to seeing panhandling on the streets. Still, she is “shocked” to see Salisbury’s homeless population increase. For Gadson-Harris, advising residents where panhandlers tend to be located is the first step in finding a permanent solution. McLaughlin is a small business owner and has personally confronted with panhandlers on his property. The overall well-being of everyone is important to him because he has seen people go as far to cut in front of traffic to collect money.

“We have to look at that as a city to ensure that despite what the statutes may be, we have to make sure everyone is safe,” McLaughlin said.

Gadson-Harris said that she was not prepared for the kind of questioning at the forum. She had initially thought they would be asked more about what they would do as part of the city council, but she felt having more “genuine” reactions to the questions helped to her advantage. She thinks homelessness, affordable housing and public safety are the most pressing issues that Salisbury is facing today.

“I care about Salisbury. I believe when you live somewhere and you have different concerns, that you need to get up and do action. Not just complain about it, but I believe I can be someone who can lead with integrity and uncompromising leadership,” Gadson-Harris said. “If elected, I wish to gain partnerships with collaborations and connections with people and make our city greater.”

One of the members of the public who came to watch the forum was Geoffrey Hoy, chairman of the Rowan County Democratic Party. Even though he wished there was a more diverse line of questions about housing and the expansion of Salisbury, Hoy is confident that whoever is elected to city council next month will have the right mindset to take charge of what lies ahead.

“These are all people who want to take seriously what it means to lead, to govern well, and to provide a good future for the city of Salisbury,” Hoy said. “There are limits on what you can do in a forum of this nature, but I thought they did well and they exhibited a real vision for what’s needed here.”