By ERIC SCOTT CAMPBELL
Two District 3 New Albany City Council candidates fielded questions from a lively audience of their neighbors Wednesday evening.
Democratic incumbent Steve Price and Republican challenger Brenda Scharlow sat side by side at a table in front of more than 20 members of the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association at Muir Manor.
The event was a question-and-answer session, not a debate, and there was little interaction between the candidates, other than the occasional reference by one to the answer of another.
Though moderator Greg Phipps told the audience that questions should be directed to both candidates, Price drew the majority of the attention. Members expressed skepticism about Price’s governing philosophy and accountability to his constituents.
“We don’t feel like we’re being represented,” said Helen Spudich, who wondered why Price professed to not considering the removal of one-way traffic a priority when most of the affected area is in his district.
Price told Spudich the city needs to spend money elsewhere first — especially on crime prevention — and he told the audience, “There’s other people who think I am representing them.”
Price’s questioners included Charlie Harshfield — one of his opponents in the Democratic primary — and at least four plaintiffs suing the council for unequal representation.
Though Scharlow wouldn’t call increasing two-way traffic a “top priority,” she said she’s in favor of the traffic-calming possibilities.
“It does affect business owners” trying to attract customers, Scharlow said.
Neither candidate was in favor of installing a rental-inspection program. Both said existing ordinances could do the job if enforced more frequently.
Courtney Paris, who like Scharlow and Price owns rental property, said the occasional inspection fee should be considered the cost of doing business and a method to keep away landlords looking to cash in quickly.
“If you want to own property in New Albany, there are a series of steps you need to take,” Paris said.
Both candidates weighed in on fiscal policy. Scharlow described a budget strategy she honed when raising eight children and starting the Tumblebus business, one that would rely on economic development.
“You don’t take a budget and make it work. You bring in investment and make your budget bigger, and then you make your budget work,” Scharlow said.
Price stressed the need to differentiate between “wants and needs” in departments’ budgets.
“We’ve got $10 worth of ‘wants’ and $1 to go around,” Price said.
After Price wondered aloud whether a purported Main Street development plan was being suppressed by some government forces, Jeff Gillenwater asked Price why he would not name the targets of his complaints.
Price said he didn’t like to do so without having all the facts, but “you’ve got the right to question, you’ve got the right to bring things up.”
Roger Baylor told Price he had voted in step with colleague Dan Coffey on 98 percent of this year’s ballots.
“We have like districts,” Price replied. Coffey represents District 1, and both districts include parts of downtown New Albany.
Scharlow saw less urgency than Price did in the need to build or acquire more space for city government. She said she would prefer to construct a bigger City-County Building to keep all local services behind the same doors, “but it’s not the time right now,” Scharlow said. “We need to get more money first.”
Phipps apologized for not inviting Libertarian candidate Thomas Keister to the forum; he had not known Keister was on the ballot.
