Helena, Ala. (WIAT) — On Thursday night, Scott Summerlin and Brian Puckett covered multiple hot button issues at the Helena Sports Complex as they debated who should next represent the city of Helena.
As the men squared off, traffic and infrastructure improvements loomed large over the hour-long debate.
“There are several areas where we can connect roads,” Summerlin said.
“We need to think outside of the box,” Puckett said. “We need to look as a city to start looking at ways to alleviate small traffic items where we can.”
Both candidates agree on the importance of a growing and thriving Helena. The two also gave their thoughts on Old Helena Entertainment district voted by Helena City Council last Tuesday. The ordinance will allow patrons in the new district to take alcoholic beverages outside of the businesses and consume them in the district between noon and midnight of that day.
“It’s more than just an open container, think about what this is doing for our town. Its making Old Town now a destination,” Puckett said.
“We got a few safety issues that have to be addressed with this,” Summerlin said.
Summerlin is a recently retired law enforcement officer and has served multiple communities for the past 25 years as a patrol and school resource officer.
Puckett has served on the city council since he was appointed to fill the vacancy for Seat 2 in 2019. Prior to serving on the council, Puckett was the Vice-Chairman of the Helena Beautification board.
Other topics covered in the debate included development, small businesses, schools, property taxes, and transparency on and off social media.
Voters will head to the polls Aug. 25.
