First Ward city council candidates gave their thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time Tuesday night during a virtual candidate forum.
Two of the three candidates, Pat Fowler and Greg Pierson, answered questions about their candidacy via online video conferencing. Mark Anderson, who is also running, did not join due to a family commitment. The forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters and moderated by former Sixth Ward Council Person Barbara Hoppe.
As the community is sheltering in place and social distancing to mitigate the harms of COVID-19, Pierson said that it is important we figure out what our "new normal" will look like when it's time to reopen the city.
That includes a new operating system for businesses, changes to our healthcare system and how to go about in everyday social interactions.
Fowler said she spoke with several business owners in Columbia who expressed concern that many of the federal economic relief programs such as the Paycheck Protection Act were not equally available to them.
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