Council candidates discuss key issues facing Beloit at forum
By AUSTIN MONTGOMERY Staff Writer, Beloit Daily News, Mar 3, 2021
BELOIT — Beloit voters heard from those running for seats on the Beloit City Council on Tuesday night as candidates fielded a range of questions about the current and future state of affairs in the city.
The three incumbents running for third consecutive terms—Clinton Anderson, Sherry Blakeley and Nancy Forbeck—attended Tuesday’s forum while challengers John Petersen and Dayetoven Raleigh did not participate in the event that was held virtually due to COVID-19.
A total of three seats will be up for re-election April 6.
A representative for the Beloit League of Women Voters said Raleigh stated “several weeks” ahead of the forum he would not attend, while Petersen did not return repeated correspondence with the league for participation in the forum.
The incumbents took questions ranging from the city’s commitment to environmental sustainability; the city’s commitment to diversity; improving crime rates in the city; and ways to expand the city’s COVID-19 response.
COVID-19
The incumbents all spoke of the city’s recent approval as a vaccine provider in partnership with Beloit Area Community Health Center to highlight what the city is doing to protect residents in 2021, with all saying fighting the pandemic remained a top priority for the council.
“It’s going to be a wonderful place to get people not connected with our health system for getting accurate information and the care they need for accessing the vaccine,” Forbeck said.
Blakeley said she was proud of the council’s quick response to the pandemic in March of 2020, specifically the city’s action requiring face coverings be worn in Beloit.
In response to a question on how to address crime in the city, Forbeck said the city needed to “set the tone of respect and caring” for all residents.
“We have to show that we are caring about our communities that are struggling with poverty and higher crime,” Forbeck said.
Anderson said bringing quality jobs was an indirect way to reduce crime, citing the addition of the Amazon distribution center that boasts 1,200 employees at a starting wage of $15/hour.
“Depending on why the crime is committed, we have to look at why is it being committed. We need to continue to bring in good paying jobs to our city. That’s not going to alleviate the whole thing, but it’s a start to bring in those jobs for our residents to have access to them,” Anderson said.
Blakeley said the Beloit Police Department’s response to Black Lives Matter protests last summer showed the integrity of the department’s community-oriented approach to policing.
“Our officers have made a point of greeting people,” Blakeley said. “They are doing their best to keep the whole community safe.”
Environment
Anderson said the city should look into adding wild prairie grasses around the city, along with establishing prairie restoration areas as ways to mitigate erosion and water run off.
“It’s a low cost way we could improve our environment over time,” Anderson said.
Blakeley touted the city’s ongoing upgrades to the water system that would increase efficiency and reduce waste citywide, with Forbeck agreeing with both candidates for adding natural grasses and water conservation.
A forum for School District of Beloit Board of Education candidates will be held virtually at 6:30 p.m. on March 4.