Gov't
Election 2018: Business as Usual or a New Direction
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Central’s voters will go to the polls in November to answer one question: Do you want four more years of what you have now? If so, the incumbent candidates have pledged to continue along that path. For those who believe Central has taken a four-year trip down the wrong path, almost all of the challengers promise a change of direction.
The issues most on the minds of the voters are the lack of a funded plan to improve drainage, the spending of $5 million on a City Hall building, the approval of Shoe Creek’s 250 apartments, and the changing of the Master Plan to encourage rapid growth.
Mayor Shelton and Council Members Fralick, Evans, Vance, and Messina, the incumbents, are firmly in support of building the $5 million City Hall and the Shoe Creek apartments. They also voted to fund the study to update the Master Plan and provided zero funding for drainage improvements in their first three annual budgets.
The challengers, most of whom are newcomers to politics, generally oppose the construction of a large City Hall at this time, most were opposed to the Shoe Creek apartments, and most favor slow controlled growth consistent with Central’s Master Plan. The notable exception among the challengers is at-large candidate Kim Powers, who sides with the incumbents on most issues.
On November 6 the voters of Central will send a message. The results will be either a request for four more years of the current policies, or a mandate for new leaders to take Central in a new direction.
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