Candidates vie for votes in Liberty and Dayton
Liberty City Council candidates Ross Ward and Councilman Ed Seymour listen as Councilman Tommy Brents speaks at the Liberty Center last Thursday evening. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Liberty Mayoral candidate John Hebert Jr shares his vision for the city as council candidate Bill Griffin listens. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Rudy Cole addresses voters in her bid to replace outgoing mayor Carl Pickett at the Liberty Candidates Forum. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Dayton City Council Position 3 candidate Sarah Vickery gets emotional speaking of the positive impact that residents of the city have had on her life. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Incumbent Dayton City Councilwoman Position 1 Sherial Lawson fielded questions during the Dayton Candidates Forum. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Troy Barrett told voters he was eager to learn and work to become part of the solution if elected to Position 2. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Dayton City Councilwoman Position 2 Janette Goulder-Frick expressed her affinity for the city’s history at Tuesday night’s candidate forum. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
Harry Barnes spoke about his commitment to the community and his love of country, which he proudly served over two decades in the United States Marine Corps. The Vindicator | Myria Schubert
The Vindicator held a pair of candidate forums in Liberty and Dayton, where candidates fielded questions about their candidacies and vision for each community going forward.
Questions focused on issues of local importance and how the candidates would serve their communities if elected.
LIBERTY
Liberty candidates for mayor and three at-large city council seats assembled at the Liberty Center on Thursday, April 4.
Mayoral candidates Rudy Cole and John Hebert Jr. were on hand to address voters.
Four of the six candidates for three at-large positions were in attendance, with Bill Griffin, Ross Ward, Tommy Brents and Ed Seymour fielding questions. Matt Harris and Greg Sattler were unable to attend.
Candidates were asked their thoughts on implementing a unified development code, or zoning, in Liberty, which the council rejected earlier this year.
Seymour, one of two incumbents, told those attending that he was against it originally but felt that council should revisit the issue.
Most of the candidates felt there was at least a need for a conversation, and some zoning could benefit the city.
However, the other incumbent councilman in the race, Brents, stood firm in his opposition to what he called “overregulation.”
When asked about local first responders, the candidates shared high praise for the fire department, most echoing those feelings for the Liberty Police Department.
“They are an outstanding group. I used to be a part of the police department and the fire department. It comes at a great cost, and there’s more challenges even now on the police department side because there’s a shortage of police officers and a shortage of qualified people,” said Hebert, “But I do believe we have a good one, and I pledge to keep it that way.”
Cole expressed her support for the fire department but seemed to have a different line of thought regarding the police.
“The police department does a pretty good job. I just believe there needs to be some training to help with their citizens better, like you’re here to protect and serve, not harass, but for the most part, they do a good job, and whatever we need to do to support them more we can,” Cole said.
DAYTON
On Tuesday voters in Dayton heard from candidates in a pair of contested city council races at the Dayton Community Center.
In the race for Position 1, incumbent Sherial Lawson faced challenger Harry Barnes, while Position 2 incumbent Janette Goulder-Frick, Troy Barrett and Sarah Vickery fielded questions in the contest. Former councilman Alvin Burress, also running for Position 2, could not attend due to a work emergency.
Candidates in Dayton fielded questions about funding infrastructure, the changing dynamics of the community, tax abatements, and other topics.
Lawson spoke about her experience on the council, and when asked about Dayton’s greatest asset, she named the people.
“I want to continue to do what I can to facilitate planned growth that will be for the existing citizens of the city of Dayton and growth that will be good growth,” Lawson said.
Her opponent, Barnes, wants to improve Dayton for future generations in hopes of having a community they can come home to as adults.
“Our greatest asset is our children. We have talked about heritage and all of that. Heritage runs right into legacy. What is our legacy? That’s what we ought to be asking, what does that look like,” Barnes said.
In the Position 2 race, Frick touted her love of Dayton’s history and her desire to uphold that story.
“To respect the history, I encourage people to see the past because it’s a heads up on what’s coming in the future,” Frick said.
Barrett believes he is ready to serve and roll up his sleeves to learn the necessary skills to serve all of the city.
“ My vision would be bringing people together by us having a diverse community. I think we need to meet the needs of all people,” Barrett said.
Vickery, an outspoken critic of taxes and bonds in recent years, made clear her opposition to such decisions would not change if elected. She also touted her love for the community.
“I found some of the best friends I’ve ever had here, and I love that about Dayton. Everyone is sweet; even the mean people can be really nice, and that feels like home to me,” Vickery said.
You can view both forums at thevindicator.com or on our Facebook.
Early voting in the upcoming election begins Monday, April 22 and election day is set for Saturday, May 4. For more information on the forthcoming election, visit the Liberty County Elections website at votelibertycounty.com.