Childcare emerged repeatedly at the Oct. 16 candidate forum as a core local affordability issue tied to housing and property-tax pressures.

“Childcare is a huge issue,” said Mike Nugent, a Ward 4 incumbent, who described paying about $16,000 a year for preschool for his child in the past and said the city needs public investments rather than relying solely on the private sector. Chris Foster, a candidate who said he lives next to a licensed childcare center, urged that developers be held to existing commitments to include affordable childcare in projects and called for city incentives tied to MRA-funded projects.

Candidates suggested several concrete approaches:

- Hold developers to their affordability and childcare commitments in project agreements; use project incentives or contractual conditions when public money or MRA incentives are involved. (Chris Foster, Mike Nugent)
- Use existing public providers such as Parks & Rec to expand after-school and summer care; consider co-locating childcare within public-school programs or high-school career pathways to train future childcare workers. (Kristen Jordan, Sandra Mesica)
- Explore redirecting some development fees or developer profit margins toward childcare subsidies, down-payment assistance and permanently affordable housing to reduce overall household cost burdens. (Chris Foster, Mike Nugent)

Speakers also raised overregulation concerns. Sandra Mesica said licensing and regulatory burdens can make childcare operations financially fragile; she encouraged reviewing regulations that raise costs while maintaining safety.

Clarifying details: Candidates noted that a developer commitment to provide childcare was removed from a recent major project (discussed as the Revara/Rivara project in the forum) and that Parks & Rec is a significant local child-care provider. No candidate presented a finalized city budget line for childcare at the forum.

Ending: Candidates asked for further consultations with childcare providers and community stakeholders to produce implementable local policies and funding strategies.