Rochester City Council candidates answer voter questions

Rochester City Council candidate forum

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(ABC 6 News) – The League of Women Voters of Rochester continued its series of candidate forum Tuesday night, letting voters hear from candidates running for Ward 4 and Ward 6 of the city council.

Candidates were asked a series of questions provided by the League of Women Voters, Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, Post Bulletin and written in by voters present and online.

First up were two new candidates, Dan Doering and Mark Schleusner, who are competing for the Ward 6 seat currently held by Molly Dennis.

Doering says addressing housing insecurity would be a top priority for him in office.

“I will strive to make more affordable housing in this community, and I look forward to talking more about that this evening. I look forward to helping those who are experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Doering.

Schleusner shares these concerns, but kept focus on finances.

“It gets back to understanding the complexities of the budget and helping in the areas that help these constituents having these financial difficulties, you know seeing where we can keep prices down,” said Schleusner.

Next came the Ward 4 forum, with incumbent Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick defending her seat against challenger Andy Friederichs.

Kirkpatrick and Friederichs also clashed over housing issues.

“My opponent votes no on subdivisions, but yet says we need affordable housing. There is a shift when a subdivision happens, and it is built, the people in the lower income houses or the lower value houses, shift into the middle and up the ladder, that’s how it goes,” said Friederichs.

“I do vote no on subdivisions. We live in an extremely sensitive geological area,” said Kirkpatrick. “Many of the subdivisions that are going in really can profoundly affect our environment and future water usage.”

While the opposing candidates for each ward disagree on implementation of certain policies, all say their goals is simply to do what’s best for their community.

You can find a full list of the remaining Rochester candidate forums here.

Election day is November 5, but early voting begins September 20.

You can register to vote or check your registration status here.