Three of the four candidates for a vacant Mobile City Council seat representing a heavily residential district touted their differences on policy and experience during a candidates’ forum Thursday.

Kyle Callaghan, a retired law enforcement professional and current member of Mobile County Board of Registrars; Josh Woods, executive director of The Grounds; and Karla DuPriest, owner and founder of Chris & Carla Heavenly Ribs; participated in a one-hour forum hosted by the League of Women Voters and moderated by Fox 10 news anchor, Lenise Ligon.

A fourth candidate, small business owner Linh Nguyen-Hoach, did not participate.

The special election is set for July 25. The contest is set to replace Scott Jones, who resigned from the Mobile City Council District 6 seat in April.

Woods, who lost to Jones during the 2021 municipal election by 336 votes, said his policy priorities included boosting infrastructure, public safety and protecting the district’s neighborhoods.

“District 6 has had strong leaders in the past,” Woods said, citing former longtime Councilwoman Bess Rich, who served in the seat before Jones’ brief tenure. “It’s incumbent on District 6 to continue to have strong leaders.”

Related content: Mobile council candidates vow to serve remainder of term, back annexation

Woods said he would host regular community meetings and listen to voter priorities to determine what type of infrastructure projects need funding priorities. He also said it should be priority for the city to retain talented youths.

“Retaining the brain drain is one thing that District 6 needs to have,” said Woods, a father of three young children. “Speaking from our generation, we go off to school and (work) experiences but we never return (to Mobile). We need to ensure our brains come back and that we can draw new brains here.”

Callaghan, who retired in 2015 after a 30-year career in law enforcement, said his priority is addressing the infrastructure issues and traffic congestion within a district that includes some of the city’s major thoroughfares in west Mobile.

“We need to quit talking about it and do something about it, period,” said Callaghan, suggesting the city invest in more traffic counters at various locations to generate priorities for replacing traffic lights. “I know that District 6 cannot have all of the money for traffic lights, but we need a commonsense approach.”

DuPriest, who ran as a Republican for U.S. Senate last spring, said she would ask the district’s residents about their policy priorities. But she repeatedly said the city should invest more of its capital money into developing new recreational centers.

“Recreational centers were fundamental in my development and fundamental in providing food, games and training,” she said.

DuPriest said she would like to see the district more community minded, envisioning American flags displayed throughout the neighborhoods similar to what she says takes place in nearby Fairhope.

She also said she envisions the city transformed into a “garden city” someday, and advocated for the creation of an association allowing elderly residents an avenue where they can contact someone who will assist in improving the aesthetics of a neighborhood.

“I’d love to see, in the next 10 years for Mobile, a city that looks like the garden cities I’ve seen in Europe and seats for people to sit down and enjoy a meal,” said DuPriest. “Maybe my husband can provide some of his Heavenly ribs.”

Callaghan, who calls himself the most fiscally conservative candidate in the race, said the city should be careful in providing funds toward events and projects that are not self-sufficient financially.

He said that city officials should be willing to support a sporting event that has been “around a long time,” and encourage other businesses to move into Mobile if the city supports Airbus or Austal with city funds.

“We have to be careful with our tax dollars as government officials,” he said.

He also said that residents need to support sporting and entertainment venues in Mobile, like the forthcoming Topgolf venue at the McGowin Park shopping center. The City Council unanimously supported a $1.25 million economic incentive last year to bring the complex to Mobile.

“That’s another thing we have to do as Mobilians,” said Callaghan. “We have to support our events and our businesses to make everything work.”

Woods touted his experience at The Grounds in attracting private sector support to lure concerts and other events, while boosting activity at the facility that annual hosts the Greater Gulf State Fair in late October and early November.

He said in the next 10 years, he would like to see District 6 becoming a place where families are moving back into neighborhoods and a housing market where properties are not “sitting for sale for six months.”