First Ward neighborhood associations and First Ward Columbia City Council candidates will discuss housing, infrastructure and structural inequality issues at a forum Saturday.
The forum, which is the second of the municipal election season, will begin at 2 p.m. at Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church, 702 Wilkes Blvd.
Each of the First Ward candidates — Pat Fowler, Greg Pierson and Mark Anderson — has committed to attend.
Representatives of the North Central, West Ash and Ridgeway neighborhood associations will ask the candidates to sign a pledge that outlines some of the most important issues of the ward, said Robert Hemmelgarn, vice president of the North Central Columbia Neighborhood Association.
Some points on the pledge include:
- Paying attention to the development and longevity of affordable housing.
- Addressing urgent stormwater and sanitary sewer problems.
- Improving roads and sidewalks.
- Placing a moratorium on any next tax increment financing in the ward.
For more information, visit our partners at the Columbia Missourian.