Published: October 24, 2008 10:13 am      

City Council candidates questioned during forum

Opinions differ on binding arbitration

CUMBERLAND — Taxes, infrastructure and binding arbitration are all issues that have been on the minds of city residents and City Council candidates.

A candidate forum was held Thursday evening at Allegany College of Maryland to hear the thoughts and opinions of those seeking election on Nov. 4.

Tim Woodring moderated the forum with questions read by Chamber of Commerce members George McKinley and Mark Widmyer, as well as Bryan Gowans of local radio station WCBC. All questions were answered by all three candidates.

When it came to whether any tax cuts could be foreseen during their term, all candidates seemed to agree that this cannot be foretold.

Mary Beth Pirolozzi, appointed to finish out former Council member Terry Rephann’s term, said she didn’t want to forecast that possibility at this time, especially due to the recent tax increase and the second round of budget cuts coming from the state. She added that a “hard look” needs to be taken at the city budget to see where costs can be cut there.

Brian Grim also sees the need to cut spending.

“When you cut taxes you’re going to have to cut additional spending as well,” he said. “We have to cut spending right now just to get started.”

David Kauffman also could not foresee whether any tax cuts would occur in the next four years but said he thinks the answer will be a direct result of the success of any economic development initiatives.

“In a four-year span, you’re not realistically going to see the type of return or long-term event investments that will allow us to initiate tax cuts,” he said. “We do, however, have a crumbling infrastructure and it costs money to address those needs and it is unrealistic for us to believe those needs will be met without having to address how those needs will be funded. I believe that there are more creative ways than we’ve been employing to be able to increase our population, increase our business community, without having to sell ourselves out to achieve those goals.”

With the recent rise in taxes and lack of money coming in, all candidates agreed that going through the city budget line-by-line in order to see what is needed and what can be cut is a good idea.

When it came to the role of neighborhood associations, all three seemed to be on the same page once again. The candidates agreed that these groups are an asset to the city and all were willing to work with them.

The candidates also addressed the issue of supporting the revitalization of the Virginia Avenue corridor.

Grim said a way to support that effort is to get neighborhood groups involved as well as business owners. He said the first critical step is to eliminate the blighted properties in that area.

“Virginia Avenue is Cumberland’s second Main Street,” he said. “It’s a critical part of Cumberland, it’s the heart of Cumberland, and I think we need to push forward on that beginning with elimination of blighted properties and moving forward with our new streets and building properities such as the (Human Resources Development Commission) building.”

Pirolozzi said the hardest part of this program will be the private fundraising that the HRDC will pursue. She agreed with Grim and said the new council member needs to keep working towards resolving the blighted properties problem.

Kauffman said the first step is to identify a purpose for the corridor. He said the corridor needs to serve a function for the city and to serve the current population and future generations with that new purpose.

Opinions differed on the subject of binding arbitration, specifically with Local 1715, International Association of Fire Fighters. The union sought the arbitration and the city, in August, rejected the concept.

Mayor Lee Fiedler, who said he has the backing of the other elected officials, is opposed to binding arbitration because it takes the contract decision out of the local community. Members of Local 1715 sought binding arbitration as a way to avoid working prolonged periods without a contract but a petition effort to force it to referendum failed.

All three candidates supported having the issue on the ballot, but differed in why they felt that way.

“The reason I don’t believe binding arbitration belongs in the city government (is) because it takes the decision process and the cost and what it is that your taxes might have to be out of the hands of the citizens of Cumberland as well as out of the hands of the leadership you elected to serve you,” Pirolozzi said.

Grim supported binding arbitration and said that if parties cannot sit down together and come to a resolution, you have to have some third party come in and help reach a decision.

Kauffman said the beauty of the opportunity for questions to be brought to the reforendum is the opportunity for the general population to have a voice on a subject on which it disagrees with its elected officials.

There are three candidates running for the two City Council seats up for election. The two winning vote-getters will start a four-year term beginning Jan. 5, 2009.

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.