Laurel candidates answer questions on Main Street, mall at Laurel Board of Trade forum

The biggest challenge for any future mayor is to work within their means, Mayor Craig Moe said Thursday night at a candidates forum organized by the Laurel Board of Trade.

When asked what was the No. 1 difficulty that would be faced in the upcoming mayoral term, Moe pointed to the city's $3 million reduction in revenue this year. There were 88 foreclosures in Laurel this year, more than ever before, Moe said

Mayoral candidate Valerie Cunningham answered the question on biggest challenge in one breath: "Jobs, jobs and more jobs."

"I'm trying to lose some weight," quipped mayor-hopeful Michael Sarich. He said that what others see as challenges, he sees as opportunities and that Laurel can power itself.

All three mayoral candidates, as well as at-large Council member Michael Leszcz and at-large challenger Adrian Rousseau; Ward 2 incumbent and candidate Donna Crary; and Ward 1 candidate H. Edward Ricks attended the forum at the Quality Inn and Suites Oct. 20. Two other incumbents who are running, Valerie Nicholas, in Ward 1; and Frederick Smalls, in Ward 2, did not attend.

Future of Laurel Mall, Main Street

The majority of the questions from the audience focused on Laurel Mall, Main Street and the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, and most of those were addressed to the mayoral candidates.

Sarich said the problem with the mall was a lack of realistic timetables.

"If there's a $16 million blank check, and I can't get you to turn the shovel, then there's something wrong," he said, referring to the tax increment financing mechanism the city granted the mall's developers. He added that improving the mall would improve the quality of life of residents.

"We can't just take nail and hair salons, as good as they may be," Sarich said, "What we need for this community is a much more proactive mayor than a reactive mayor, taking what we get."

Cunningham said she would sit down with developers and national retailers to discuss how to bring business to the mall.

Moe said since the city doesn't own the properties at the mall, they need to work with the individual or corporations who do.

"If they decide that they want to go out and rent it to an individual or some sort of business we all may not like, that is their prerogative," he added.

When asked what Main Street would look like in four years, Moe said that the street had attracted a lot of discussion by people who did not know the facts. He said the street has 127 registered businesses, and the City Council introduced a matching grant program to encourage further development. He said there were at least three more projects that the council is currently working on.

Sarich proposed hiring a Main Street marketer.

"We have a long history in some ways of taking what we get. When I become mayor, we're going to go out and get what we need," he said.

Cunningham said she wanted a coffee shop, a doughnut shop, an ice cream parlor and painted buildings on Main Street, "instead of drab things that need to be repaired."

When asked about securing additional funds for the Laurel Boys and Girls Club, the candidates were divided in their responses.

Rousseau, a club volunteer and board member, said that the City Council needed to show more compassion by supporting the club. He said the council's response to the club's funding needs was "to not even blink an eye or have any compassion and say it's not our money."

"This is a historic building. This is the first public high school in Prince George's County," Sarich said, voicing his support for the club. Cunningham was also in favor of finding additional funding.

"If the Laurel Boys and Girls Club can show me that the majority of their membership comes from the city of Laurel, I will consider" securing additional funding for the club, Ricks said, "Until I see that, I'm not in favor of it."

Leszcz said that the club received $1 million in state grants in 2003, in addition to other funds from the city and the county.

"And the building is falling apart," he said, "So the question is, where did the money go?"

Moe said that he will continue to provide the club with in-kind services, in addition to the $100,000 that the city has given to them in in-kind services.

"We will continue to work with the leadership if they continue to work with the city," Moe added."It's a two-way street."

This story has been corrected.