Cottonwood’s five City Council candidates sat in chairs set up around the City Council Chambers in Old Town. On a table in front of the dais where three of them will soon serve sat cookies and water, free for the taking.
Members of the public filtered in over the course of the early evening of Thursday, July 19. For the first time as part of the City Council election campaign, the city set up a candidate meet-and-greet, letting Cottonwood residents interact with their potential representatives one-on-one, talk to them about issues that affect them, and get to know them personally.
For the candidates, it was a chance to show off their human side, to not just campaign in mailers, pamphlets and yard signs, but in conversation with the people they hoped would vote for them.
“I’m not used to this,” said Suzanna Mathews, the wife local real estate agent Michael Mathews, who is running for council. Mathews expressed strong support for her husband, and described what she saw as his drive to fix things, but she also admitted that campaigning has not come easily for her. “I’m not really a spotlight kind of person.”
Mathews was not the only candidate to bring a spouse. Jim Allen, husband of Vice Mayor Kyla Allen, the only current City Council member running for re-election this year, wore a large black cowboy hat and spent much of his time talking with the other candidates. Jim Allen had a polite conversation with Michael Mathews, despite some previous clashes between him and the vice mayor.
“There are no enemies,” Jim Allen said of the way he hoped candidates would treat each other during the race. “I had an issue I wanted to discuss and I went to discuss it.”
The meet-and-greet was far from a packed affair. At some points there were more candidates than voters, and by the end, most of the cookies on the table remained untouched. This allowed those who did show up to talk directly with the candidates and focus issues on their own lives.
Council candidate Bill Tinnin, a real estate agent who sits on the airport commission, wore a shirt from the American Legion to the event, honoring Purple Heart recipients. According to Tinnin, one of the longest conversations he had at the event focused not on focused not on city council issues, but on the American Legion and veterans’ issues.
“As the parent of a 13-year-old who was born here, struggling to make ends meet, building an economy that people can afford” is a top priority, said local resident Cathy Ransom, who spoke with candidates at the meet-and-greet. Ransom expressed hope that the city government could continue to support events like the Old Town Music and Market that can bring in business and a feeling of community to the city.
Former mayor Don Hahn, who served for three terms leading the city in the 1980s, came to the event, though he said he had already made up his mind on who he was going to vote for. Having been out of politics since his time in charge, Hahn said he no longer knows the candidates personally, but praised those who he spoke to on Thursday.
“I was surprised by the amount of service people like Doug [Hulse, a member of the Parks and Recreation commission] have given before running for the council,” Hahn said.
In Hahn’s view, many on the council in his day had been consumed by petty fights and conflicts of interest, whereas he felt that today, “Most of the people who run are looking out for the best interests of the citizens.”
After seeing the turnout from the first time the city has attempted a meet-andgreet, candidates said they hoped it would continue in future years, but hopefully with better advertising, allowing for more people to talk to future council members.
For the candidates, meeting with people like this was an opportunity to take a break from the stressful parts of campaigning and focus on individual people in town.
“I know what I’m doing now,” said Jackie Nairn, who is running for the second time now after losing a race for council in 2016. “I have a better idea than I did two years ago.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
