LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The NAACP hosted the final public debate between Lima's two candidates for city council president before the election coming up in just over a week.
As the race for retiring Council President John Nixon's seat nears a close, Jamie Dixon and Todd Gordon spoke to voters on Sunday afternoon about their visions for Lima.
Dixon emphasized the need to look to the future, particularly the next generation of residents and workers. He wants to make Lima a place that young people don't want or need to leave by including them in the processes of local government.
"We first have to engage them. So we have to make sure that they're at the table, just as well as the generation before, the current generation, and the generation after. So that we make sure that Lima is a place that all generations have sat together and come up with a plan so that Lima can move forward," 5th ward councilman Dixon said.
Some common concerns that the 1st Ward's Councilman, Todd Gordon, plans to address are public safety and blighted neighborhoods. He believes that we need to increase hiring for both law enforcement and code enforcement.
"I want to start working more in the neighborhoods, attack the neighborhood problems like the roads, the curbs, the sidewalks. I also have an interest in putting in some speed bumps to help with the traffic problem," Gordon said.
Both council members have extensive leadership experience that they feel has prepared them to take on the role of president.
"I am on the board of the Lima Community Improvement Corporation where we're talking about housing, and working with housing, and getting housing, making sure that we have housing and adequate housing in our neighborhoods. But also then, when I tie it into my professional life working in the field of social services, we know that there is a need for this community, and so we have to make sure that we have the proper resources and the tools to meet those needs in the neighborhoods," explained Dixon.
"President is not a new term for me. I've been union president at the prison, I've been church board president, I've been football league president, so following Robert's Rules isn't anything new to Todd Gordon. You know, as the council president, I would like to see this community thrive and as a leader, I want to help bring the community together," Gordon said.
Early voting is open until November 5th, and election day will be held on Tuesday, November 7th.
