Candidates declare for Council Districts 2 and 3
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Each council seat on the ballot this year will now have at least one candidate challenging the incumbent. Photos: Courtesy of Liliana Peinder and Thomas Casez
The ballot for City Council this year just got more crowded.
Why it matters: The election may not be till Aug. 25, but all three districts up for election this year already have challengers declared to run.
Catch up quick: Liliana Peinder, a translator for Huntsville City Schools and small business owner, is running for the South Huntsville District 3 seat currently held by Council President Jennie Robinson.
- Thomas Casez, a software engineer, is running for the District 2 seat currently held by David Little, representing east and southeast Huntsville.
- They join Will Pylant, another challenger running against incumbent Bill Kling to represent downtown Huntsville in District 4.
Zoom in: Casez, 29, is a James Clemens High School and Auburn grad who grew up in Madison and moved back to Huntsville from Atlanta a few years ago.
- "I was struck by how much everything had gotten more expensive, the growth of the city, the traffic has gotten worse," he told Axios Monday. "(I've) not been confident in the leadership of council to move fast enough to mitigate the issues."
- A resident of Five Points, he says his top issues include keeping utility and housing costs affordable, addressing growing traffic problems and bringing technological expertise to the council.
Peinder, 34, lives in Weatherly Heights and was spurred to get involved politically after seeing that 23 state Legislature candidates were running unopposed a few years ago.
- Peinder tells Axios one of her top issues is education, with a particular focus on improving working conditions for the district's thousands of teachers.
- "I think that if we have strong, well-maintained and invested social infrastructure, that then creates avenues for all Huntsvillians to thrive."
Case in point: Peinder also called utilities an affordability issue, saying that District 1 Council Member Michelle Watkins made good points about losing subject matter expertise and voicing transparency concerns via a potential consolidation of Huntsville Utilities' three boards.
- Casez called the council's lack of expertise in software and technology a "blind spot," saying proposals like City Detect (which he's against) could've been better presented.
What we're watching: City Clerk Shaundrika Edwards tells Axios official qualifying doesn't happen until June 9–23, when candidates can officially file paperwork with the city to get their names on the ballot.
- Once filing starts, the city will begin updating its website to show who has filed, she added. Election Day is Aug. 25.