Radford Council Candidates Weigh In on Fiscal Distress, Data Centers and Flock Cameras at Cardinal News Forum

Five candidates are in the race for two open Radford City Council seats.

Government efficiency, Flock cameras and the city's fiscal distress were among the topics at the Radford City Council candidate forum hosted by Cardinal News on Thursday night at the Radford Library. About 50 people attended to hear four of the five candidates: Jonathan Stewart, Doug Kanipe, Charlie Meeks and Bill Kovarik. Chad McClanahan did not respond to Cardinal's invitation to participate. Voters will elect two new council members, and no incumbents are in the race.

Fiscal distress

Candidates were asked about the city's financial problems, which stem from underestimated revenue projections and reliance on enterprise funds to balance the general fund.

• Charlie Meeks, who worked 14 years in the city's public works department, said the city is "starting to drive in the right way," but called its spending on processing its own trash "a little much" and suggested outsourcing it, as Blacksburg and Pulaski do.
• Doug Kanipe, a mechanical engineer with 24 years of experience, said the key is establishing a process to keep this from happening again, including daily revenue and budget reporting so problems are "course-corrected immediately." He would limit costs and continue the city's hiring freeze.
• Bill Kovarik, a Radford University School of Communications professor, agreed with Kanipe and asked when the forensic financial audit will be finished and released: "It was due out in August. I haven't seen it." (Cardinal News has reported the audit is being done by Brown Edwards, with a report expected this fall, per Mayor David Horton.)
• Jonathan Stewart, a self-described blue-collar worker with an outside perspective, said the city should grow its number of small and medium businesses as a tax revenue stream and "stop losing properties off the tax revenue."

Data centers

Asked whether Radford should consider data centers, Stewart answered: "I have a short answer, and that's no." Kovarik and Kanipe gave longer answers sharing that position. Meeks left room for considering the financial impact, saying data centers don't create many jobs "but it could bring some income in."

Flock license plate cameras

Meeks said systems like Flock cameras are important for things like Amber alerts, but how long they stay on should be limited. Kanipe said he saw the benefits firsthand when the cameras helped his son recover a stolen car in Martinsville, but he has concerns about the security of the stored data and which law enforcement agencies can access it. Kovarik later shared those concerns. Stewart said his decision would reflect the consensus of his constituents: "If the citizens don't want them, that's who we're representing."

Voter reaction

Longtime resident Annette Camacho Vasquez said she was thankful for the forum, but not all her concerns were addressed: "We don't have an audit yet, so we don't have a full idea. But we need new blood, we need new ideas, we need new strategies."

Election details

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3; early voting runs through Oct. 31. Five candidates are running for two council seats. Councilman Seth Gillespie is vacating his seat to run for mayor, unopposed.

Originally reported by Erick Solorzano for Cardinal News. Read the full article at Cardinal News.