The Nov. 2 Carroll city elections are now only three weeks away, and the seven candidates seeking office are working to spread their message to voters before they head to the ballot box. The candidates running include: for Carroll mayor, Mark Beardmore and Jerry Fleshner; for Ward One, Jay Norgaard and Tom Bordenaro; for Ward Three, Clay Haley and Kyle Bauer; and for the At-Large seat, JJ Schreck. All seven attended the Carroll Rotary’s candidate forum over the noon hour on Monday. One of the first topics discussed at length covered last September’s failed referendum for renovations to the aging Carroll Rec Center and the council’s response to that public vote. Beardmore says elected officials are actively ignoring voters on this issue.
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Fleshner, who currently serves on the Carroll City Council, says the Rec Center is nearly 50 years old and they cannot continue to put off updates forever.
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Norgaard, whose grandfather founded Farner-Bocken Company, says he looks at the Rec Center through the lens of economic development and how it impacts local businesses.
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Haley, who is the current Ward Three councilman, says it is important to remember he and the other councilmembers are elected to represent everyone, from children to the largest business in town.
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Bordenaro says he sees the need for improvements at the Rec Center, but the original $13.4 million price tag on the project carried some sticker shock for most residents. Schreck has the same concern and says many residents have contacted her to express their opposition to the city’s decision to move forward with the effort anyway. Candidates also discussed train horn mitigation, the future of U.S. Highway 30, economic development and more during the Rotary’s forum. Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more on those topics in upcoming newscasts. Full audio can be found below.
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