Race, the Vicksburg Police Department and downtown redevelopment dominated Thursday’s municipal candidates forum – the first of the season and attended by about 200 people.

Candidates were asked about economic development, recreation and activities for the youth, but it was the challengers who fired the first volley of accusations at the current administration and incumbent Mayor Laurence Leyens, seeking a second term.

“What we need is government that includes the people,” said Eric Rawlings. “This administration has spent a lot of frivolous money while people are steadily being put out of their homes and put into the streets. That’s not fair. That’s not the democratic process.”

Rawlings, 42, is one of four mayor candidates in the May 3 Democratic primary.

Another Democratic mayoral hopeful, John Shorter, 38, said downtown redevelopment should not have been started until work in areas annexed in 1990 has been completed.

“You can’t do an urban renewal project before all your fire hydrants are in place,” Shorter said.

Also seeking the Democratic nod, Warren County District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon, 44, criticized the city’s remodeling of the downtown area.

“When it comes to downtown it doesn’t matter if someone is black, white, green, rich or poor. If they don’t fit into the vision of downtown the mayor will make sure that his forces in political power will be heard,” Selmon said.

Selmon did not specifically mention a recent accusation of discrimination by the Main Street board of directors, its chairman and its executive director, but Melanie Damrell, the former downtown business owner who made those charges at last week’s city board meeting, did raise questions and asked Leyens to respond.

Leyens said it would have been illegal for him to have allowed Damrell to play the audiotaped recording she says is her evidence during open session of the board, but that officials are still willing to listen to it during a closed session.

“That employee is entitled to due process and you were invited to bring it to executive session and you chose not to come,” Leyens said.

The policy of the city board has been to take all personnel items up during closed session, but there is no law that requires it.

“This has been a very volatile issue in the community,” said Bobbie Bingham Morrow, president of the Vicksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and moderator of the forum.

“My question to you is what do you want?” she asked Damrell.

“I want to play city leaders’ voices at the city board meeting for the community to hear,” Damrell said.

Leyens has said he believes the racial accusations are politically motivated. He also indicated the city has made and is making progress on all fronts.

“Candidates that are running for office tell you that the sky is falling, but open your eyes and look around,” he said.

The forum also featured an apology from Rodney Dillamar, 45, who is seeking the Democratic nomination. Dillamar and Leyens engaged in a bitter argument before Jackson television cameras last Wednesday.

“I believe that the reason Vicksburg is looking bad now is part my fault and part the mayor’s fault,” Dillamar said. “I’m sorry for being emotional and saying the things that I said.”

Candidates were also asked to state positions on the police department and if they would increase officer ranks. Most said they would, but few said how or how many.

“I am the only candidate up here who has ever been a law enforcement officer and I believe we need more police,” said South Ward alderman candidate DaVon Grey, 46.

Former Warren County District 2 Supervisor John Ferguson, 63, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor, said the police need leadership.

“If you want a change, if you want to see something different, you’ve got to change the leadership,” Ferguson said.

That idea was also echoed by former Mayor Joe Loviza, 65, who is again seeking the office he held from 1993 to 1997 as an independent candidate.

“All personnel problems begin at the top,” Loviza said.

Rawlings, Ferguson, Selmon and Shorter will be on the May 3 primary ballot. On that day or in a May 17 runoff, the first to get more than half the votes cast will advance to face Leyens, Loviza and Republican Shirley Smollen, 69, on June 7.

Challengers for North Ward alderman had no harsh words for incumbent Gertrude Young, 49, but said it was time for a change.

“Anybody who stands up here and says the current city administration has not done some good things is not telling the truth,” said Michael Mayfield, 47.

“I’m not going to lie to you, but I’m running because I do not always agree with everything they have done,” Mayfield said.

Tommie Rawlings, 41, an independent candidate in that race, said he had nothing against Young, seeking her fourth term, but that he felt she has served her time. Rawlings also commented on the downtown renovations and the $17.5 million bond issued during the first year of the current administration.

“Downtown looks nice, but it should have gone to a vote because I have to pay it back and I can’t afford anything down there,” Rawlings said.

A petition was submitted to City Hall before the bond issue was approved, but there were not enough signatures to bring the issue to a public vote. It required 1,500 signatures from registered city voters.

Smollen also criticized the money spent on downtown. “Cosmetics look good. I use it on my face, but it doesn’t cost you $17 million,” she said.

Young said that those improvements weren’t the only use of the bond money and said that her work for the past four years has been consistent.

“For 12 years my platform has been the same; to have a better Vicksburg,” Young said.

Independent candidate for North Ward alderman Vickie Bailey, 36, said she is campaigning for job creation, better housing and improved moral for city employees.

“Given the opportunity I will be the voice for all the people,” Bailey said.

The only Republican in that race is Carl Yelverton, 58, who was absent from the forum.

South Ward alderman candidate Pam Johnson, 39, who is seeking the Democratic nomination, also said more needs to be done for the youth.

“Vicksburg does look better, but our children and the people have been totally neglected,” Johnson said.

Incumbent South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman, 47, seeking his second term, said too many candidates are making promises they can’t keep.

“If candidates stand up here and promise anything, they better know who their partners are going to be … because it take two to tango. You’ve got to have two votes on the city board to get anything done,” Beauman said.

The forum at City Auditorium was sponsored by the Vicksburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the Mississippi Chapter of Blacks in Government and the Vicksburg Branch of the NAACP.