Election 2015 forum: Ward 3

Candidates for Havre City Council from Ward 3 agree on some issues and differ on others.

J.D. Cass, who is retired and works part-time, is opposing Caleb Hutchins, an instructional designer at Montana State University-Northern.

On various issues:

Annexation

Hutchins said he isn't familiar with the details of annexation rules, but in general favored the idea that people receiving city services pay full city taxes.

Many properties on the west wide of Havre pay the city for water and sewer but don't pay taxes for other services.

But Hutchins said he strongly favored keeping negotiations on annexation open to the public.

He said too frequently governmental bodies in the Havre area fail to publish their agendas ahead of meetings and don't post minutes of their meetings.

There are too many closed-door meetings, and that fosters distrust in government, he said.

Cass said he favored the concept of annexation in general and was opposed to efforts to needlessly close meetings.

Blight

Hutchins said the problem of blight was "very definitely a problem," especially when it is on main streets such as 1st Street.

He said unsightly and vacant buildings present a bad image to people traveling through town, though, he added, he was uncertain about what to do about the problem.

He said he didn't favor governments requiring people to demolish decrepit buildings, but might favor a program that offered incentives for property owners to demolish or renovate blighted buildings.

Cass said he was concerned about blighted buildings but said "there are limited options" as to what the city can do about it.

Drinking at Town Square

There was a controversy earlier this year about a man who was cited for drinking on Town Square during a Sounds on the Square concert.

Hutchins said "the law is the law, and it should be enforced."

Hutchins said he would consider a law that allowed people to drink a beer or wine while enjoying the music at Sounds on the Square.

Cass said the musical program is advertised as a family affair, and he was opposed to allowing drinking.

Reasons for running

Cass said he has lived in Havre since the 1980s, and the community has been good to him. He raised his children here, and they attended fine public schools.

Hutchins said that unlike many towns, there are a number of jobs to attract people to town. The Havre Job Service website lists more that 140 jobs available, many at good wages.

The city can attract more people to these jobs by encouraging people and companies to create more things for younger people to do other than "sitting home and watching television and going out and getting drunk," he said.