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HANCOCK -- The League of Women Voters Copper Country hosted a Houghton City Council candidate forum at The Orpheum Theater Tuesday. Mayor Robert Megowen, current City Councilor Rhiannon Schmidt and Michigan Tech's Matt Siegel participated in the event.
Chad Arney and incumbant Mike Needham are also on the ballot but were not present. There are five candidates running for four open seats in Houghton.
Moderated by Valorie Troesch, the League drafted several questions which were provided beforehand to the three participants. Those questions included Houghton and non-Houghton related matters.
Taking over as mayor in 2026 after the passing of Bob Backon, Megowen said voters should rely on his experience. "The reason I'm running is to take care of the City of Houghton and the surrounding communities," he said. "It takes a lot of time and dedication but I believe I've done a great job in the past and I will definitely do a great job in the future."
Schmidt is a public health nurse for the Western U.P. Health Department in Hancock. She joined the council in April after filling Backon's vacant seat. Schmidt said her work on the council should continue and will continue to advocate for residents. "I would like to continue advocating for people in Houghton, to listen to what people have to say and trying some real-world solutions that will make Houghton a great place to live moving forward."
Siegel is the Michigan Tech Writing Center Director and said he wants to give back to the community and run for office. "My work's been very much rooted in community practice, both locally and in the Keweenaw, or regionally in the Upper Peninsula," he said. "I'm 52, my kids are grown and out of the house. I'm at a point in my life, in my career, where I have the time to give back a little bit to the community that's given me so much."
All candidates supported the Copper Country Intermediate School District's Special Education millage. Both Siegel and Schmidt supported the Houghton County Jail millage, with Megowen opting not to give a position on the issue.
Traffic and safety concerns were brought up by Troesch. Schmidt and Siegel agreed more needed to be done to address downtown pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle safety.
"I do think we could work with the police to have some flashing lights to indicate to drivers to look out for people trying to cross the roads," Schmidt said. "I do think it would be beneficial to maybe start having some speed cameras downtown."
"I can say as a longtime cyclist, the streets in Houghton feel unsafe on a bike," Siegel said. "So they often resort to sidewalks and we need safe places for them to ride. On night parking, residents and businesses, I think, deserve clear rules and fair, predictable enforcement."
Megowen said this is a yearly, recurring issue due to having to train a new group of college students on how Houghton's roads work. "I will continue to work with (Houghton Police) Chief Donnelly on enforcement. The rules are always a challenge, but we have a college town which changes kids every year. "We're also the tourist base camp for a to of people," he said. "So, you just have to work on keeping people safe and then enforcement is the goal, slowly but surely."
The candidates primary goals for their time on city council was the next topic. Schmidt said expanding the community garden and possibly creating a community fruit orchard was hers. Siegel said infrastructure and getting maintenance projects done would be his. Megowen said he would like the local economy to grow and to provide safety for all residents.
Other topics included conflicts of interest, public criticism and the time commitment for the position. One other topic including handling conflict within council chambers.
Siegel and Megowen said the best practice is to be civil and listen to the other party. Schmidt agreed and said there have been disagreements the council worked out in the past.
"We've found some disagreements since I've been on the city council," she said. "We've spoken things through, we revisited things and I've said 'no,' and I've never been made to feel like a degenerate for saying 'no.' It's always been very civil."
Megowen, Siegel and Schmidt finished the evening with their closing statements.
"I've been in the community for a long time," Siegel said. "I care about it very deeply and I am at a point in my life where I am ready to dedicate some time to giving back to that community that has given me so much."
"I really appreciate the fact that we're here," Megowen said. "I really hope the City of Houghton can go forward, the City of Hancock can go forward, and the community can always work together."
"Houghton is my chosen home," Schmidt said "I love it here and I'm also at a time in my life where I have some time to give and I'm very happy to give that time to working with the city council to keep making Houghton great."
Election Day is less than two weeks away on Nov. 3. The Daily Mining Gazette will have coverage of Hancock's candidate forum in Friday's edition.