All but one of the candidates vying for seats on the Selma City Council gathered last week to answer questions and share their thoughts on the future of the city. The forum, moderated by Dr. Stan Louie, kicked off at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at Selma City Hall, and attracted a standing-room-only crowd. After brief introductions from each of the 11 candidates, each was then asked two pre-written questions as well as three questions from members of the audience.

Candidate Gary Alexander did not attend.

During the forum, candidates offered a host of views on topics including what they thought was the biggest issue facing Selma and ways to deal with potential cuts to the city budget from the state. The audience's questions centered on what Measure S means to each candidate and their plans for revitalizing downtown.

Candidate Herbert Wingfield said extra money should be generated for the city's general fund by either attracting more businesses to Selma, or by looking into capital projects and applying for grants.

Contender Johnny Smith said it might be hard to find extra revenue, but said he'd look at city services to find out if they were being provided for effectively. He also said revenue could be raised by charging certain services to citizens who live outside of the city tax base, or by charging citizens for repeated nuisance calls.

Others, like candidate Mike Melvin, said money from the general fund could be saved from state cuts by cutting non-essential items in the city budget. He also said the city could look into cutting back use of city vehicles and transition to a four-day work week to cut down on usage of power.

Incumbent Dennis Lujan said he's helped balance budgets in the past for the council and that conservative fiscal planning is important.

But the main issue facing Selma, according to candidates, is public safety.

Because of the current budget, the city can't afford new police officers, said candidate Joseph Tiger. Further, the downtown business area needs to be revitalized, but Selma needs to be kept safe and free of crime in order for this to happen, he saiad.

Others, like candidate John Mendoza, said a big issue facing Selma is lowering the cost of living for residents. This could be done by lowering home insurance, cutting the cell phone tax, providing more affordable housing and increasing the number of city parks, he said.

Incumbent Sandi Niswander said the economic stability of the city is the biggest issue, given the nationwide downturn in the economy.

She also said that supporting and encouraging local business in Selma is important and noted that she's interested in bringing more retail and industrial markets to town to help bring economic stability.

Candidate Danny Serimian said Selma's downtown is its biggest issue, given the current economy. He said downtown Selma needs to attract more businesses and be more quaint, like other nearby cities. Downtown also needs to be revitalized and be preserved in order to attract more businesses and customers to the downtown, he said.

Others, like candidate George Rodriguez, said the types of businesses allowed into Selma are a big issue.

He said that the city should support local businesses and that allowing more big business into Selma could potentially cost people their jobs.

He also said the city should invite businesses into Selma that don't already exist.

Incumbent Jim Avalos said the nation's current economic slump is the biggest issue facing Selma, noting the downturn in housing and decreases in consumer spending.

He said the community could be improved by having citizens work together to support local businesses, which help to create tax revenues for the city.