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As early voting approaches, mayoral and city council candidates joined the Suffolk News-Herald in a forum to discuss the issues facing Suffolk.

The forum was held on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront. Candidates with opposition in their respective races were invited to attend. All mayoral candidates were in attendance. Whaleyville City Council incumbent LeOtis Williams was the only council candidate not present. Williams did not respond before the deadline, but the night before the forum, he communicated that he “may attend” but never showed up. 

The forum was moderated by Boone Newsmedia Inc. President/CEO and Smithfield Times Publisher Steve Stewart, who was the publisher of Suffolk News-Herald from 2012 to 2015. 

Topics ranged from collaboration with the Suffolk Public School Board to whether Port 460 was a good decision. The nearly 200 in attendance and those watching via Facebook Live had an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates.

During the city council forum, which remained semi-cordial, incumbent Roger Fawcett was criticized by his opponent, Ebony Wright. 

Wright openly criticized Faxcett’s performance as Sleepy Hole Borough representative over the past 12 years, while Whaleyville candidate Jason A. Wooldridge looked on.

Each candidate had the opportunity to talk about how they planned to work with citizens to better understand their concerns.

Fawcett said his line of communication with his constituents is open daily. He followed that despite being a council member in a specific borough, the role expands communication across the city.

“I am open. I’ve never shied away from anybody. I want anybody that has anything to say or do to be more than happy to come and talk with me,” Fawcett said. “Can I solve their problems all the time? I’m not going to say I can, but I will do everything I can to have that communication and allow myself to integrate with them, to get them what they need, and I’ve been doing that ever since I’ve been on council for the last 12 years.”

Wooldridge reiterated the importance of communication with constituents.

“Communication is the key, and if you self-delude and think that you end up with the answers for everyone’s problem, you’re going to interfere with that communication,” Wooldridge said. “So I’m always open to listening to the concerns of the people that I’m talking to, to building relationships with people like me who actually live in Suffolk, and fostering those relationships so that our city can be and maintain that small town, rural heritage, that culture that made me want to be part of Suffolk when I got here, 23, 24 years ago.”

Wright says she can become more familiar by utilizing her experience as a citizen, detailing that one should draw from their experience before taking on leadership roles.

“I’ve been out there trying to make a difference. I think you have to sit down. You have to hear from people and not just listen to them, because part of what we’re dealing with now is, people are speaking; We’ve had two years of speaking, but are we being heard?” Wright said. “And so as a Councilwoman, I want to draw from my experience of not being heard, and I want to make sure that I bring the voices of the people to the table.”

Wright continued, expressing that it’s important to not just know a candidate’s name during election season, but also their work.

“When you hear my name, you should know the work that I’ve done. You shouldn’t have to see my face plastered all over the city after being an incumbent for over 12 years,” Wright said. “What you have to do is get out there, get in with the people, listen to the people, identify the problems and get meaningful solutions. People want results. I am tired of sidestepping issues, and so we have to bring results.”

On a follow-up question to Fawcett referencing Port 460, Stewart asked about balancing the interests of his constituents with those of the entire city. Noting that he is the chairperson for the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, he reflected on his motion to table the final decision for 90 days to give residents “an opportunity to get more involved.”

“And that voice doesn’t stop there. That voice continues,” he said. “So I think I blend that with hearing from all the citizens of Suffolk, not just any one group, or one area, or one borough.”

On the same question, Wooldridge, referencing Whaleyville’s rural aspect, says representing a rural community should be at the forefront of their thoughts and decision-making.

“But we all are Suffolkians, so the decisions need to be made based on the best interest of Suffolk as a city,” Wooldridge said. “Now, what the city’s vision is based on, well, the City of Suffolk is known as the ‘peanut city capital of the world.’ So there has to be a lot of agricultural thought to what’s going on and the direction we’re in, I’m not in favor of it.”

Likewise, Wright says she would balance by how she listens now. Reflecting on her 2021 run for Suffolk School Board, she discovered city-wide issues such as a lack of grocery stores in Downtown Suffolk and flooding in the Pughsville area.

“Yes, we continue to say that we’re going to deal with them, but we keep sidestepping the issue and kicking the can down the road. So how I would deal with the entire city of Suffolk is by treating people like I want to be treated,” she said.

When the 2045 Comprehensive Plan question arose, Wooldridge said to “throw it in the trash” and return to the 2035 plan to examine and either modify or stay with it, because he said, “Because there is no mandate. There is no law that says we must do this now. And just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.”

While Wright credited the city and planning commission’s effort to give residents a voice in the plan, she discussed adding a transportation plan, noting that rapid city growth outpaces the infrastructure.

“I don’t understand how, in two years, we have just come to the conclusion at the last meeting that there isn’t a transportation plan. That blows my mind,” Wright said. “And oh, by the way, while I thank you so very kindly for making sure that we had input, not a lot of that input was considered in the revision.”

As Chairperson of the 2045 plan, Fawcett says that the council is not in “any hurry” to pass the plan and emphasizes that it is being presented in draft form.

“Right now, there’s a transportation plan being worked on to bring into that 2045 plan. Can I tell you in November that the 2045 plan is going to go forward? I wouldn’t bet on it,” Fawcett said. “There’s no hurry to pass that 2045 plan, and if it takes however long to get it right, then it takes that long to get it.”

You can watch the Mayoral forum Here.