Roswell Mayor Plays Defense as Transparency Dominates Mayoral Debate

Roswell’s three mayoral candidates clashed over transparency, trust and the city’s direction during a 90-minute debate Sunday night at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, with incumbent Mayor Kurt Wilson spending much of the evening defending his administration’s record.

Wilson faced pointed criticism from challengers Steve Dorvee and Mary Robichaux over issues ranging from public access to information to a controversial proposed stadium project on the city’s east side.

The sharpest exchanges centered on transparency in city government, an issue that has fueled much of the campaign season.

Business Approach Under Fire

Dorvee, a former city councilman, took direct aim at Wilson’s management style, arguing the mayor’s approach to running Roswell like a business comes at the cost of openness.

“The mayor says he wants to run this place as a business. I agree. We need to run it efficiently,” Dorvee said. “But if you run it like a business, then you start keeping your trade secrets. And the first thing that dies when you run city like a business is transparency.”

Dorvee pointed to a letter signed by 21 former city officials raising concerns about the current administration. He criticized Wilson for calling the former elected officials as “silly, unserious people.”

Wilson dismissed the letter as political theater.

“If those 21 people were serious, they would have actually reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, can we talk to you?'” Wilson said. “This was grandstanding at its best. It was a simple orchestrated event by the past mayor Jerry Wood and making political hay to set up a campaign to run for election.”

Trust and Communication

Robichaux, a former state representative, said transparency and trust require more than just making information available online.

“When we talk about transparency, I would like to believe that throughout my service both at the state capital and then also when I was in health care, we were open and honest and we had some sometimes say some hard things to people, but you have to say it,” Robichaux said. “You have to be willing to listen to what the person says back to you and understand where they’re coming from.”

She criticized the city’s financial reporting, saying even CPAs have difficulty understanding budget information presented on the city’s Roswell Connections website.

Wilson defended his administration’s communication efforts, noting the city has reorganized its communications strategy and brought staff back to open mic meetings to answer resident questions directly.

“Trust is about competency,” Wilson said. “The city of Roswell was not competent for 25 years. It was a city of no. It was a city of chaos and a city of drama.”

Business Owner Speaking Rights

All three candidates addressed a policy Wilson implemented, preventing business owners who don’t live in Roswell from speaking at city council meetings.

Dorvee said the policy demonstrates a lack of transparency.

Wilson defended the policy but suggested he might reconsider it if residents want it changed.

“The process of saying I want to come to a public meeting as a business person, quite frankly, was illogical to me,” Wilson said. “If people want it solved, we can solve it. It’s not a big deal.”

Robichaux said she would allow anyone to speak at public meetings. “We thrive on visitors coming into our community. If they want to take the time to come down to city hall and talk at a city hall meeting, I’m all for that,” she said.

Stadium Controversy

A proposed stadium and entertainment complex on the city’s east side emerged as a flashpoint, with both challengers opposing the project.

Dorvee called it “a bad idea for a whole lot of reasons,” noting the city would fund it with bonds. “Every study that has been done says that stadiums do not generate income. They just suck it from other areas,” he said.

Robichaux, who lives on Roswell’s east side, questioned whether a stadium with 60 outdoor concerts per year fits the city’s family-friendly image.

Wilson said no final decision has been made on the stadium but defended the concept of a mixed-use entertainment district. “I do believe in boundary-breaking infrastructure. I do believe in mixed-use high-level entertainment districts,” he said, adding any project would come before taxpayers for final approval.

Competing Visions

In closing statements, the candidates offered sharply different visions for Roswell’s future.

Wilson pointed to his administration’s accomplishments, including eliminating police department vacancies, achieving the lowest crime rate in 25 years, and transitioning to a full-time fire department.

“This election’s simple. You can go back to the way things were. We can talk about them and not get anything done. Or you can continue to have access in full manner to this group of elected officials,” Wilson said.

Dorvee emphasized citizen engagement. “We need to get everybody involved in making this city great or it won’t be great. We’ll just have continued divisions. We will have people that feel like they’ve been left out,” he said.

Robichaux stressed inclusivity. “We are all Roswell. We all want our city to grow, to be a place that we can call home, a place that we can be proud of,” she said. “We’re all going to make some mistakes, but we learn from those mistakes to move forward.”

The debate was moderated by Dr. Sabin Strickland and hosted by Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.

Early voting begins Tuesday, October 14 and continues through October 31. Election day is Tuesday, November 4.