The five candidates running for Highlands Board of Commissioners sat down together for a candidate forum sponsored by Highlanders for Good Government on Tuesday night.
The forum provided each candidate with time to introduce themselves before moderators Todd and Marci Sherwood posed a series of five questions to the candidates.
“We have five candidates that we are confident will work in the best interest of Highlands,” forum host Jerry Moore said. “There will be some differences in philosophy, which is to be expected in any democratic election, ultimately it’s your choice as the voter to decide who our commissioners will be based on your vote.”
Incumbent commissioner Brian Stiehler got the first opportunity to speak and laid out his priorities for Highlands over the next four years. Stiehler pointed out a need for a town employee succession plan, as town department heads reach retirement age as being near the top of his list.
“We have a number of people who work for the town that are nearing retirement and with them they will be taking a wealth of knowledge about their particular departments,” Stiehler said. “We need to be sure that the next generation of people taking over are prepared for those positions, because the lifeblood of the town really is the staff.
Stiehler added that he’s also interested in promoting sustainability, managing growth, delving into workforce housing issue and improving access to childcare.
Kay Craig expanded on Stiehler’s thought about workforce housing and listed that as one of Highlands’ biggest needs and one of her top priorities if she’s elected. She also pointed to infrastructure improvements and maintenance as an area of interest.
“I want to address several issues, and workforce housing is a huge issue,” Craig said. “My husband and I are business owners, and I can tell you firsthand that it’s incredibly difficult to hire and retain employees when they can’t find a place to live. They can, and often do, find jobs down the mountain (where it’s less expensive to live).”
Incumbent commissioner John ‘Buz’ Dotson noted that his top priorities if reelected would include infrastructure improvements, preparing for continued high tourism, and maintaining Highlands’ strong fiscal position.
“I am very concerned about maintaining our town finances so that we can continue to provide quality services for our residents and visitors and handle needs that arise along the way,” Dot-son said. “During my time on the board, there haven’t been any challenges that we haven’t been able to tackle and overcome. Looking to the future, I think we do need to expand our infrastructure and we need to do it in a way that is beneficial to our residents.”
Rachel Wilson pointed to employee recruiting and retention, increased workforce housing, managing Highlands’ growth and protecting the natural environment on her priority list if elected.
“Staffing shortages at our business, and within the town, is a constant issue right now and I think workforce housing is a big part of that,” Wilson said. “We have to continue to make High-lands a place that’s desirable to live so that our kids want to come back here and they want to work and raise their families here. We need to put policies in place that allow us to keep our quaint small-town feel and our way of life.”
Jeff Weller noted that responsible planning was at the top of his list for Highlands’ next four years and added that community engagement would be part of his process to promote man-aged growth.
“Growth and responsible planning is very important and I think community engagement goes right along with that,” Weller said. “I think as board members we need to be at local events, we need to be talking to town residents, and we need to be visible. I do think we need to expand our infrastructure, specifically the sewer system, because that is an important way the town can help protect our natural environment.”
Throughout the course of the two-hour forum, candidates gave their thoughts on topics ranging from the future of the town’s Unified Development Ordinance to whether or not the mayor should become a fulltime salaried town position.
The goal of the evening, according to Highlanders for Good Government’s Derek Taylor, was to let voters hear firsthand where candidates stand on specific topics.
“We had a great turnout and I want to thank not only the candidates for taking their time, but also to all the attendees for coming out and being informed,” Taylor said. “We are fortunate to have a field of candidates that are all smart, upstanding people who will do their best if elected.”
One-stop early voting for the 2023 municipal election began today at the Highlands Rec Center. Only registered voters who live within town limits are eligible to vote in the municipal election.
Election Day will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7.