There was more agreement than disagreement among the eight City Council candidates who took part in a candidates' forum Tuesday night.
Only 4th Ward incumbent Carlos Graham - out-of-state because of a family matter - didn't attend the two-hour program sponsored by the News Tribune.
Graham is one of four Council members seeking re-election but have no opponent on the April 4 election ballot.
The others are Laura Ward, 2nd Ward; Ken Hussey, 3rd Ward; and Mark Schreiber, 5th Ward.
Incumbent Jim Branch faces a 1st Ward challenge from David Kemna.
And three men - Ron Fitzwater, Leonard Steinman II and Charles Jackson - seek to finish the last year of former Councilman Glen Costales' term, after he resigned last year for family reasons.
Kemna and Branch both talked about growing up on Jefferson City's East Side.
"I want to be a voice and pro-active for a lot of the people who reside in the 1st Ward," Kemna said, "to help try to grow the economy, to help infrastructures and to just build more communication so we continue to grow Jefferson City."
Branch told the forum being on the City Council has "been one of the best experiences of my life. I think we've done a lot as a Council (to) get the city moving in the correct direction. I'd like to see it through."
Among the three 4th Ward candidates, Steinman noted his family's local roots as well as his experiences of living here and in several other parts of the country.
"I have walked every street and every place in the City of Jefferson since I was 4 years old," he said. "I believe in work. I believe in equality.
"And I will listen to everybody."
Jackson described a 30-year public service career, including 26 years with the Highway Patrol that brought him to Jefferson City in 1983 and his four years as Missouri's Public Safety director from 2001-05.
"I started a mentoring program," he said, "and watching some of the citizens who come through the courts process got me thinking about some of the things that need to be changed in our community. That's what motivated me to (run) for City Council."
After growing up "in a town where neighbors helped neighbors," Fitzwater said he and his wife chose to move to Jefferson City because it met many "of the things that we experienced as we were growing up, and this has been a community we have really fallen in love with."
Ward said her family moved to Jefferson City 17 years ago and has "restored two historic homes, both near downtown," since then.
She added: "I enjoy living in Ward 2 because I feel it provides the most diversity in our city."
Hussey noted: "I feel like our role is to listen to the citizenry, focus on the issues that move this community forward. Local government has the responsibility for those core, fundamental services that impact people on a daily basis."
Schreiber said his family moved here in 1954 when he was in the third grade.
"I served 42 years in criminal justice," he explained, "including as the last deputy warden at the old Missouri State Penitentiary and the first deputy warden at the new" Jefferson City Correctional Center.
All candidates said the city needs to focus on improving its economy.
Ward and Schreiber pointed to tourism and the Missouri State Penitentiary Redevelopment efforts as ways to do that.
Jackson said the city should do more to improve public transportation, to help people get to jobs and to stores.
Branch and Kemna said helping the public schools also will help the economy.
All the candidates talked about infrastructure - especially the aging stormwater system and the residential streets.
Hussey noted, citywide, the stormwater repair cost is close to $45 million.
Several supported city discussions about asking voters to approve a monthly utility fee to raise money for that work.
Most supported the idea of the urban renewal plan to renovate homes on and near East Capitol Avenue that have been neglected for years - although they also said the city shouldn't be too aggressive and ignore the current owners' property rights.
Steinman said it shouldn't be discussed while the city's in litigation over efforts to care for some properties. He also noted urban renewal can be destructive, pointing to the elimination of homes and businesses in the 1960s along Lafayette and East Dunklin streets near Lincoln University.
Although each candidate wants to represent a specific city ward, all agreed many of the issues involve the whole community.
Archived video from the forum can be accessed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ImEk8fye9UE