Incumbents don’t often lose in local political races.
But in the District 4 City Council race, Councilwoman Myrtle Cole is fighting to save her seat as challenger Monica Montgomery’s grassroots campaign continues gaining steam.
This week’s show kicks off our podcast series covering the most interesting races in the November election. In this episode, hosts Andrew Keatts, Sara Libby and Scott Lewis break down the biggest issues in D4 communities like Encanto, Lincoln Park and Paradise Hills, and discuss how Cole and Montgomery say they plan to tackle them.
Montgomery sat down for an interview with Keatts; Cole did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
The hosts review the candidates’ takes on police conduct and racial profiling. It’s the issue that catalyzed Montgomery to launch her campaign against Cole, her former boss. At a City Council meeting in 2016, Cole said black-on-black crime justified racial profiling by law enforcement. Cole later apologized for the initial comments. Montgomery said the comment inspired her to not only quit her job with Cole, but to run against her.
“For me, there’s really not a lot of turning back from there,” Montgomery said. “The decisions that she has made with regard to police reform and accountability since that time have reflected those comments.”
The crew also discuss the candidates’ positions on economic development and schools.
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