Takeaways From Tuscaloosa District 7 Candidate Forum

TUSCALOOSA, AL — It's less than a week before the special election for the District 7 seat on the Tuscaloosa City Council and both candidates squared off Thursday night in a virtual candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Tuscaloosa.

The race will feature a rematch of previous incumbent Sonya McKinstry and challenger Cassius Lanier, who both appeared on the ballot in March. Lanier won the election by a narrow margin, before McKinstry was ultimately successful in a legal challenge that saw the results thrown out.

ALSO READ: PAC Contributions Top $30K In Tuscaloosa City Council District 7 Race

Ahead of next Tuesday, here are our 3 biggest takeaways from Thursday night's forum, along with some analysis and additional context. Click here to watch the full forum.

1. No consensus on future of the McFarland Mall property

Candidates were split on the approach to the heavily-blighted McFarland Mall property, with Lanier saying one of the first things he would do if elected would be to lobby the council to identify potential code violations to put pressure on the property's owner — developer Stan Pate — into taking proper action.

"Nobody wants to come and bring a nice business and develop a nice property next to a garbage dump," Lanier said. "We have to clean house first. We can't avoid the elephant in the room."

He then proposed attracting high-profile businesses such as Top Golf, Cheesecake Factory and possibly even a Comedy Stardome, similar to the one in Hoover.

McKinstry took a different approach, stressing experience in saying her previous two terms on the Council gave her the necessary insight and connections to continue on the current path of revitalization for the area by working in concert with the property's owner.

It's important to note that McKinstry has been publicly aligned with Pate in his quest to redevelop the property into a sportsplex and tournament facility and was present with the developer when demolition work began on the abandoned mall in February. This came just a week prior to the March 2 election and after Pate publicly announced a feasibility study for the property.

"When it comes to condemnation, the city has never tore down a business," she said.

2. Different approaches to neighborhood revitalization

Topics such as civic engagement and town hall meetings were mentioned at numerous points during the forum, but a crucial issue in District 7 has been neighborhood revitalization to prevent crime and raise the quality of life for residents.

McKinstry pointed out her past accomplishments to underscore her approach for the future, pointing to $300,000 she said was recently secured for improvements in the district. What's more, she mentioned her role in the push to install LED lighting for streets across the city.

Lanier agreed with improving basic amenities, but when talk turned to Habitat for Humanity's role in redevelopment in the district, the two were visibly split.

"I think affordable housing is a problem all over the city," Lanier said, before mentioning that he serves on Habitat's Strategic Planning Committee. "They make it great and easy for someone, even with limited income, to become homeowners with our program. In University Manor, that would be a great target for Habitat to build."

The purchase of certain lots in University Manor has been a key talking point as officials seek to reduce crime in the city, but McKinstry said she did not support inundating low-income neighborhoods with homes built by Habitat.

"It doesn't have to be Habitat homes," she said of University Manor. "We have to have investors to build garden homes, and have affordable homes in every place. Just like when we look at federal housing."

3. Candidates both stress need to address violence and crime

During the last election cycle, violent crime in Tuscaloosa was a primary talking point on every campaign as city officials have been faced with a recent uptick in shootings and violence.

Lanier suggested accountability in the district, incorporating the old adage of "see something, say something." He then floated the possibility of starting a task force to focus on gun violence, which would include identifying target areas and criminal activity that is openly displayed on social media.

"We put a lot of pressure on TPD to do the right thing," Lanier said. "We can't harbor criminals or people who are committing crimes. You have to point them out."

McKinstry also lamented the loss of young people to gun violence and said there was no "magic formula" to fixing such a multifaceted problem. She also advocated for a proactive approach to criminal activity, especially focusing on the prevalence of guns among youth.

"As long as we have these laws that allow people to open carry and walk around with assault weapons, we need to get to the root of the problem," she said. " You've got to be aware of who has weapons in your community, what they are doing in your community with these weapons and be very vocal about it."

In terms of protecting the community, McKinstry said she would lobby for TPD's temporary headquarters at the former Oak Hill School to become a police substation for the district when the move is made to the newly-renovated TPD headquarters.

"We’ve put a lot of money into renovating [the Oak Hill School] just to make a temporary spot," she said.

When the topic of community policing came up, Lanier stuck to his campaign platform of promoting positive engagement with the police to foster a more productive relationship and safer community. He then mentioned his role on the Chief's Commission for Community Policing under Project Unity and plans for different sporting events to bring police and the community together.

"We’ve got plans to do different games, not just police against the community, but mix up the community with police," he said. "Just to break the ice to show them just because they’re the police, they’re not the bad guy."

The special election to fill the District 7 seat on the Tuscaloosa City Council is set for Tuesday, July 27. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

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