South Bend NAACP hosts mayoral town hall

SOUTH BEND, Ind.---The South Bend chapter of the NAACP hosted a town hall for candidates running for mayor on Saturday. Eight of the 10 candidates running were in attendance.

The candidates fielded questions from the NAACP and the audience for just over three hours.

“I’m very interested in who our next mayor is going to be so I came out to listen to the candidates,” said Myra Butts, one of the dozens of South Bend residents who attended the town hall.

Some of the topics discussed included, crime, the controversy surrounding the South Bend Police tapes, and the racial wealth gap.

People in attendance say that while the candidates made good points on most issues, some issues seemed to go unaddressed.

“I was kind of surprised, when it came to talking about climate, that a lot of the candidates seem to take a pass,” said Isaiah Dockery, another attendee.

Republican Sean Haas and Democrat Will Smith were not in attendance for Saturday’s town hall. The primary election takes place May 7^th.