By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — At the March 8 City Council meeting, former Mayor Scott Pope secured the vacant Ward 2 seat over Kevin Tyson.
The seat became available after former representative Jim Contois was voted off the council for dereliction of duty. All nine seats will be up for election in November.
At the beginning of the meeting, Pope and Tyson were interviewed separately by Mayor Dale Girard. Councilor Nick Koloski also contributed. Each was asked why he was the best candidate.
Pope spoke of his ten years on the council where he gained experience with taxes. He also spoke of his familial connections to Claremont and his subsequent interest in the health of the community.
Pope has held numerous volunteer positions, including service with the Historic District Commision, the Claremont Industrial Development Authority, and as member of a city manager hiring committee for former manager Ryan McNutt.
Tyson is a financial officer in banking, and says he is aware of the policies and procedures necessary to be successful. He volunteers on the Board of Directors of CCTV, a station that he believed was showing too much progressive left programming, which led him to start his own shows in an effort to provide balance.
He currently hosts a show where he interviews electoral candidates, and produced a show in February highlighting historical Black Republican figures.
Tyson has concerns for the tax rate, and wants to keep rates reasonable while also providing for the community. He is interested in finding solutions to the impact of drugs on the city, and suggested a drug court.
Tyson said a focus on more volunteer work and bolstering the schools and education system will be necessary to improve the existing community, and to accommodate new residents.
Pope believes the two most important issues are housing and taxes. “Housing that is decent quality – workforce housing. How do we create that in a sustainable manner? “I see that some of my former students can’t really stay in town to work because pay is not keeping up with the housing rates, sometimes,” he said.
Initially, there was a 4-4 tie. After a brief recess, Spencer Batchelder voted in favor of Pope, which resulted in a 5-3 outcome.
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