By James McCoy, The Daily Gamecock
Columbia’s seven mayoral candidates debate in an event co-sponsored by BG Time, a group dedicated to familiarizing seniors with new media.
Columbia’s mayoral candidates debated issues ranging from water to the homeless in an event co-sponsored by BG Time Thursday night at the Capitol Senior Center.
Among the hopeful mayoral candidates were Steve Benjamin, Aaron Johnson, Joseph Azar, Kirkman Finlay, Gary Myers and Sparkle Clarke.
BG Time, a group dedicated to helping senior Columbians become more versed in digital media, helped seniors submit questions to the eager group of candidates.
The forum is a good opportunity for seniors to interact with mayoral candidates, said RJ Kraft, a BG Time representative and first-year mass communications graduate student.
“Seniors are most undervalued treasure in our community,” Benjamin said. “The knowledge and value that they bring to the table is very valuable to making our society much better.”
Seniors are becoming a larger part of Columbia’s population every year, said retired state employee Lynn Kelley, and “the people who represent this emerging sector of Columbia population must be willing to meet those challenges.”
Candidates Benjamin and Finlay debated the importance of having a fully staffed police force and a sufficient supply of clean water for the city.
Finlay, a small business owner, said Columbia must address its issues straight on. “The issues of water of is a fundament issues concerning our community,” Finlay said.
Benjamin, a former law enforcement officer and attorney said he supported increasing funding for emergency services.
“By underfunding both our police forces and fire department we are doing our own community a disservice,” Benjamin said.
Candidates proposed alternate programs to help to secure the city besides using the police force, which Morrison said just suffered a $3 million budget cut.
Candidates also took a minute to focus on finding an area of common ground especially when dealing with tough issues such as an unbalanced budget.
“Sometimes it is hard to find a consensus,” Benjamin said. “This is when the mayor has to stand up and make the unpopular decision because it is the right decision.”
When the forum took a turn towards the issues of gangs in the Columbia area, Johnson said the real issue surviving gangs is the lack of job opportunities in Columbia.
“When you solve that issue than the rest of it will follow,” Johnson said.
