On August 12, the Pell City Center for Education and Performing Arts hosted the Pell City municipal debate. Contested candidates gathered on stage, sitting behind tables lined with white tablecloths. One by one, each district, followed by the mayoral candidates, went to the podium to give opinions on key points from questions pre-submitted from the public and selected by a non-affiliated committee. Questions asked to candidates covered topics of schools and city improvement.

City Improvements:

One topic that kept popping up was that of the Pell City water system. Many of the candidates advocated for the updating of the water pipes. The topic of the water problem came up in the first round of responses with David Arnett of district one mentioning the water and city upgrades still having some problems.

“Are water lines are issues now,” argued Dot Wood from district three. And her opponent, Blaine Henderson, agreed.

The promise to tend to the water situation continued on into the mayoral debate with both Joe Funderburg and Bill Pruitt fighting for an improved water system.

“We have to deal with the water system. We have aging pipes. We have questions with water loss and several questions and issues with water quality,” said Pruitt.

Funderburg seconded this, promising the city was trying their best to replace the antiquated pipes.

Economic Development:

The driving question behind economic development in the area was one of how we can get more people to move to the area.

“We need more rooftops,” said Jenkins.

Many of the other candidates agreed. Henderson argued that businesses want to see that more people are moving to the area before they build.

There was also talk of bringing more entertainment to the area.

“People want to come when they have something to do, so I think that will help us tremendously,” said Dot Wood of district three.

Jenkins agreed, saying that in order to attract more people, we need varied entertainment options to draw them in. Things like the bowling alley and movie theatre that are slated to come to Pell City this fall are exactly what he’s talking about.

Along with business expansion, there was some talk about expanding the Eden area, with Mayor Funderburg and Jenkins talking of its limitless potential.

School System:

The importance of the city and the schools working together and having a thriving school system were at the top of the priorities for many of the candidates at the debate.

“With the best school systems in the county, people will move here,” Jud Alverson said, advocating that better school systems will improve the county in every aspect, including economic growth.

“The school board and the city need to hold hands, figuratively,” said Arnett from district one.

This sentiment was echoed throughout the night. Many candidates, from every district, stressed the importance of the school system to them and the cooperation between the Board of Education and the city.

Watch the Debate:

The goal for having a debate is to offer the public the opportunity to make an informed decision when they head to the polls on August 23. If you want to know where candidates stand on the key topics, the entirety of the debate can be found online at bit.ly/2byOSsm.