Six of Savannah's Post 1, At-Large candidates take the forum stage to answer questions

Savannah's Post 1, At-Large candidates returned to the forum stage Tuesday night at the Georgia Coastal Center, and this time they put some stakes in the ground on policy.

Tuesday's event was the first in a series of forums by the League of Women Voters of Coastal Georgia, which will host events for Post 2 and mayoral candidates in the coming weeks.

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Millage rate rollbacks vs. stormwater improvements

At one key moment Tuesday night, moderator and WJCL anchor Greg Coy asked the six candidates present how they would have voted on one of the current city council's major actions: maintaining the current millage rate. Roshida Edwards, a small business owner, was the only candidate who said she would have rolled back the rate.

"People are in a position right now where they are struggling," Edwards said. "With the half billion-dollar budget that the city has, I just feel that we could have found other ways to come up with that money other than putting it on our taxpayers."

A rollback would have allowed residents to save on property taxes, but added city revenues from the current millage rate will go toward three stormwater improvement projects. The council vote to maintain the millage rate was 6-3, with Alderwomen Kesha Gibson-Carter, Alicia Miller Blakely and Bernetta Lanier voting against the item and in support of a rollback.

The only other candidate who did not say they would have voted with the current council was Tony Thomas, who said he would have looked for a compromise between a rollback and maintaining the current rate, or by providing an alternative tax break to residents.

Jason Combs, president of the Thomas Square Neighborhood Association, said his solution to rising property taxes would focus on changing how the tax assessors calculate their evaluations.

"Yes, I probably would have voted for that [to keep the millage rate the same]," Combs said, "but I would look for ways to alter the methodology of the BOA (board of assessors)."

Combs noted his master's thesis topic was on property taxes, and he has touted his Georgia Tech degree in urban design and city planning during both forums so far.

Candidate Curtis Singleton said city council did the best they could while being stuck "between a rock and a hard place."

Thomas and former Georgia House candidate Clinton Young, who supported the council's decision, added that stormwater improvements should be addressed by projects in the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

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Funding projects to address homelessness

The SPLOST is also how Young proposed the city address homelessness, stating that 10% of each SPLOST the city passes should go toward projects for those experiencing homelessness.

"We only have $11 million designated for homelessness," Young said. "We can do better than that."

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Need for affordable and workforce housing

The debate format featured questions submitted by residents and very few were asked to all six candidates present. Most questions were addressed to three and sometimes two candidates at a time.

One candidate who qualified, Mark Anthony Smith, was not present at Tuesday night's forum. The Savannah Morning News has reached out to Smith for comment on his absence.

At the end of the forum, candidates were asked to give their top policy item if elected to the post. Four of the candidates focused on affordable and workforce housing.

Former alderwomen Carol Bell said she would address the issue through public-private partnerships.

"I believe that it is very important for people who live in the city and work in downtown be able to enjoy the benefits of this beautiful city by living there," Bell said.

Singleton also said he supports public-private partnerships to expand workforce housing, but he added that having options for mobility to the growing job market in Pooler and Bryan County is also an important issue.

Through two forums, Bell has drawn on her extensive experience working in city government. When asked why she is the best candidate for this post, Bell said she knows city government and has learned the "art of compromise."

The only other candidate who can rival Bell's tenure in Savannah government is Thomas, who held the District 6 seat for 20 years before being ousted in 2019.

Thomas has come under fire for a felony arrest in 2022 for alleging stealing from a former employer, and also an incident of public drunkenness during the 2017 Savannah St. Patrick's Day parade. The former alderman addressed a question Tuesday night about how candidates have dealt with ethical dilemmas in the past.

Thomas joked by saying, "Which one?" before expressing remorse for the St. Patrick's Day incident and declaring he is four years alcohol free.

"I accept my responsibility for that," Thomas said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him a elasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Savannah's Post 1, At-Large candidates take stage to answer questions