Voters meet candidates for Rochester City Council’s Ward 4 seat

(ABC 6 News) — On Tuesday night, candidates running for the seat representing the 4th Ward participated in a forum at the Rochester Public Library.

The forum was one of several being held by the League of Women Voters and other organizations to help voters learn more about their local leaders.

The candidates included Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick, who currently holds the position, as well as challengers Cory Sorgenfrie and Andy Friedrichs.

“I grew up in ward four, I’ve lived most of my life in ward four, so advocating for ward four is really the thing to do,” Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick is seeking a second term, while Sorgenfrie and Friedrichs are newcomers.

“Being a new person to politics, its eye opening, the work that our current city council does, and our government officials,” Sorgenfrie said.

“There’s a lot of things coming up in this town, it would be a great opportunity to jump in, get involved and help shape the future of this massive project that we have in front of us here in Rochester,” Friedrichs said.

During the forum, the candidates answered questions regarding local issues such as affordable housing, biker and pedestrian safety and the ban on camping on city property.