Robinson and Peinder make their final cases to District 3 voters

Zoom in: Robinson, who's in her third term, told Axios: "The biggest difference certainly comes down to experience and the value of experience."

• "My opponent is emphasizing change," she said. "Change is good if you know what change you're going to get. On the other hand, if things are going well, why change?"

Peinder told Axios she wants to "prioritize what people want: public safety, safe roads and sidewalks, access to Pre-K."

• Acknowledging that she's not lived in the district as long, Peinder said, "I honestly feel like it gives me a better outlook on the things that Huntsville actually needs. I've lived in different parts of Madison County and I've seen the growth from many different angles."

Context: Huntsville's growth is bringing growing pains, and both candidates spoke to Axios about infrastructure priorities.

• "We need to continue what we started," Robinson said, highlighting recent business openings on South Parkway, the recently completed Sandra Moon Community Complex, and work at Ditto Landing.
• She hinted at the possibility of a South Parkway master plan to help utilize vacant properties, saying that investments in major road projects incluing widening Cecil Ashburn Drive is what has helped the city keep pace with growth.

If elected, Peinder said she'd prioritize maintenance of Huntsville's existing infrastructure and amenities, including repaving and traffic safety, something she said she's heard consistently from voters.

• "Young people are moving into the district. … They love Huntsville but don't feel like our streets are safe," she said, noting non-ADA-compliant sidewalks and inconsistent police presence.
• Peinder said new developments ought to have impact studies, and she said she's concerned with the city annexing land without the infrastructure to support it.

The intrigue: Recent mailers from Robinson's campaign stating that Peinder is supported by "liberals from the outside," made the rounds on social media.

• Robinson told Axios it was a reaction to how "Peinder made it very clear where her ideology lies," including being "surrounded by supporters in Democratic Socialist T-shirts at council and forums."
• "That was one of the things that had to come to light as a different between the two of us," she said. "I've always been known as probably the most conservative person on the council."

"I've never used my political ideology as a divisive mechanism," Peinder told Axios. "We should be uniting our community instead of fearmongering and isolating."

• Peinder also contested claims on the mailers that she plans to raise taxes, saying that's never been a part of her platform.

Driving the news: Flock cameras — and other automatic license plate readers — have become a hot-button issue, on which the candidates clearly differ.

Robinson said license plate readers such as Flock's should be viewed as legitimate law enforcement tools that need training, authorization and accountability for unauthorized use.

• "I would like to see us really restrict who has access to that data," she told Axios, and to ensure the city is keeping a "strong eye on citizen privacy" and data security, which would be part of any new contract.

"I'm anti-mass surveillance," Peinder told Axios. "We should be transparent about our audit logs, people should have an understanding of who's using it, where data is stored (and) what they're using it for."

• Peinder wants the logs released to the public, she said, and would vote against renewing the city's Flock contract if elected.