 Well, last night we brought you a preview of Bemidji's Mayor's Race. Tonight candidates for the Bemidji City Council take center stage through a forum that provided the opportunity for the public to ask the questions. Our Josh Peterson brings us their answers. The council chambers were filled with those wanting to know more about their candidates for the Bemidji City Council. Citizens for an informed electorate who held last night's event relayed questions from the audience to the candidates like the issue of annexation. We're not making any more land than the land that we've got to get smaller so the problem is that we've got only 51% of the people in this community paying the whole tax bill. We're way behind the current custom annexation. That process takes time and once you get annexed you get worked into the growth and the planning of the city. This was agreed upon process. We're years in the making and we're going to be there soon in 2020. It is a very complex issue to deal with as far as annexation is concerned. It's never really taken lightly at the council level. Yes, you do have fire service and you have, you know, law enforcement cousins and things like that. But now with annexation you also have a voice in the decisions that face the city. Passionate answers were given when it came to a question regarding the statement of Bemidji First, a slogan used by some of the council candidates. I do struggle with that because when you find that you label someone as first you're going to have someone who's last. As elected officials we also have an obligation to those that elected us to put our community first. We are the first city on the Mississippi River and we have an opportunity to keep our water clean and preserve our water. When I hear the word Bemidji First, first city on the Mississippi, it's thinking that kind of a takeoff on that. You get to this level of civic involvement and government involvement in being a community leader. I believe first and foremost is this community. We've had various organizations in town that have really caused a lot of improvement in the economy. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. After the city council forum was completed, candidates for mayor took questions in a separate forum. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.