Heading into the highly contested Forest Heights election March 11, officials and candidates said they are hoping to bring stability to the town by curbing budget deficits and improving communication between the mayor and Town Council.

The seven candidates vying for council seats all say they are what the town needs at its helm as a sliding economy has put spending constraints on municipalities already suffering from rolling deficits.

During a Feb. 25 town debate among the candidates, Mayor Larry Stoner said the progress the town needs takes time. He points to his lobbying to state legislators and Congress for funds on the town's behalf as trusted experience and progress.

"Rome is not built in a day – it takes time and support to get things done," he said. "If reelected I am going to keep doing the same thing."

But candidates seeking office say they can offer the town transparency and stability to its problems that include the lack of a town treasurer and backlog of financial mismanagement that has left the town playing catch up to thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

"You have to identify the problem and find a solution," said Ward 3 council candidate Bill Robinson.

Robinson, a first-time candidate in town politics, is running against popular incumbent William Clarke, a long-time resident and World War II veteran.

According to Clifton L. Atkinson, a former Ward 2 councilman seeking a new bid for office, solutions to the town's fiscal calamities should include sorting through potential tax revenues by annexing business already within the town's borders instead of borrowing money.

Some council members said the town could clean up its reputation and save money on energy by going "green." Councilwoman Jacqueline Goodall said she has been a constant advocate for environmentally friendly roofs and for the town to apply for grants that would provide money to make the town more energy-efficient.

"I'm the green person; I am trying to get the town to go along with me," she said.

But most council members agreed that the town cannot adequately move forward without straightening out its finances, a subject Stoner blamed on past treasurers who he said left more than $30,000 in unpaid bills to the town.

Councilwoman Andrea McCutcheon (Ward 2), who is running for town mayor against Stoner, said the town needs transparency if it is to succeed in the new economic climate. She said she is pushing for stronger communication between the Town Council and mayor as well as hiring a town treasurer.

"When there is no transparency, we don't know what's being spent," she said.

Likewise, Councilwoman Anne Reifsneider, who is seeking reelection in Ward 2, said the town has to come together and participate if it is going to succeed. Relying on her budget management experience, she also stressed the need for transparency and cooperation.

The Forest Heights election will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the second floor of the Municipal Building at 5508 Arapahoe Drive.

E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.