CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The three candidates for Clarksville mayor shared their ideas on affordable housing, road improvements, juvenile crime and more this week during the Chamber of Commerce political forums.
The mayoral candidates, with links to their profiles, are:
- David Allen
- A.C. “Big Sarge” Lopez
- Joe Pitts, incumbent
Here is a recording of the complete political forum.
Highlight: Affordable housing
When asked if there’s any role for the city in addressing the need for more affordable housing in Clarksville, the candidates offered several solutions, ranging from more rezoning approvals to rent control.
“Man, I’m going to make people mad right now: rent control,” Lopez said. “I’m a free market capitalist as it comes – make your money, buddy. Make your money. But you have to think about the money you’re making and how it’s affecting the people. I believe as a growing city, and as big municipalities have proven, rent control is a good option, at least for the short term, not long term.”
He suggested a city ordinance that would provide temporary rent control to help low-income people who have been more heavily affected by the economic downturn.
Rent control by local governments is illegal in Tennessee, per Tennessee Code 66-35-102.
Allen pointed to supply and demand as the solution: “making sure that unless it’s just something real terrible, we don’t just vote down zoning cases because of the infrastructure. … To tell someone they can’t sell their land, they can’t rezone their land because government hasn’t done their job, I don’t think that’s fair.”
He also pointed to the Office of Housing and Community Development as a resource in bringing in grants and other funding to build more affordable housing.
Pitts discussed three elements of the current housing issues: labor supply, materials supply and the number of houses. “We’ve been at a record pace for issuing building permits for single-family, multi-family housing in this community for a couple or three years if not longer.”
He referenced some recent community partnerships to build more affordable homes, such as the Going Local Initiative and Habitat for Humanity. He said it’s important to get the private sector involved in building high-quality Section 8 housing, and he said that is taking place.
“As our city grows we’ve got to continue to keep the supply of building permits up.”
The Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce debates were sponsored also by Leadership Clarksville. They were filmed by Goodwin Productions and hosted at the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center.
How to vote
The voter registration deadline is Oct. 11.
Early voting will be Oct. 19-Nov. 3 at the Election Commission Office, 350 Pageant Lane, and Oct. 24-Nov. 3 at the Clarksville Regional Airport, 200A Outlaw Field Road.
Voting on Nov. 8 will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the neighborhood voting precincts.
You will have to show your driver’s license or other state or federal photo ID.
For more information, go to the Montgomery County Election Commission website.
