Seven men running for the mayoral and city council positions gathered Thursday to answer questions directly from the public.

The Candidates Forum was co-sponsored by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce and the Coles County League of Women Voters.

The candidates were asked about the creation of a dog park, community partnerships, bringing more retail shops and restaurants and reducing the bar entry age to 19.

The mayoral candidates, Brian Myerscough, Larry Rennels and Troy Richey, participated in the forum first.

Myerscough is a lifelong resident of Charleston and works as a substitute teacher at Charleston Community School District.

He said at the forum that he loves dogs, but he thinks the Charleston Parks and Recreation Department would be better at dealing with creating a dog park.

Myerscough said he has been on several community committees such as the Board of Zoning and Appeals.

He said as for community partnerships, the current city council and mayor have done a good job at tying everything together in the budget.

Myerscough said while it does not look like there are many businesses coming to Charleston, residents should look at the newly opened Brickhouse restaurant and Dirty’s Bar and Grill.

He said he would like to see the bar entry age lowered to 19.

Lowering the bar entry age could make students feel more welcome in the city, Myerscough said.

Rennels has been on the Charleston City Council for 16 years, worked at mayor pro-tem for eight years and retired from his business in 2010.

He said he would support a dog park in the city if they could find a way to make sure it is maintained and kept clean.

He has been very involved in the community from being the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce president and being on the Eastern Illinois University External Relations Committee.

Rennels said he would like to see more community involvement and partnership in the city by live video streaming city council meetings.

He said when it comes to new businesses coming to the city, they need to complement the existing businesses.

“We don’t need any more pizza places,” he said.

Richey said he opposes the lowering of the bar entry age to 19.

He said it should be the same as the drinking age.

Troy Richey is an employee at CHI Overhead Doors in Arthur and has lived in Charleston for 15 years,

He said there are many parks in Charleston that can be converted into a dog park, and that he would support the creation of a dog park in the city.

Richey is a strong supporter of the veterans, and he said he has talked with a lot of people about community partnerships.

He said the city should entice businesses and people to move to Charleston.

Richey said there are 20 empty lots on Lincoln that have yet been filled.

He said people can wait until they are 21 to enter the bars.

The mayoral candidates switched seats with the city council candidates, Matthew Hutti, Tim Newell, Brandon Combs and Michael Stopka, halfway through the forum.

There are two city council seats open with four city candidates vying for the positions.

The city council candidates were asked the same questions as the mayoral candidates.

Newell is finishing his first term on the council, is a former banker and is currently a math teacher at Charleston High School.

He said he would fully support a dog park in Charleston because it would beneficial for the dogs and their owners.

Newell said he opposes the lowering of the bar entry age because it may cause more underage adults to get into trouble.

He said the city has little to do with businesses investing in city because they will do their own research and it’s up to them to get a loan.

Combs is a chiropractic physician at Combs Chiropractic, an Eastern graduate and a lifelong Charleston resident.

Combs said he would support a dog park, but it would need plenty of trails and a wooded area.

He said he opposes the bar entry age being lowered because students can do other things besides going to the bars.

Combs said lowering it may even be bad for businesses during compliancy checks.

He said it not easy for the city to convince chain restaurants to move to Charleston.

Combs said as the president elect of the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce, he thinks buying local and supporting locals who want to start businesses is the best way bring more businesses to the city.

Hutti, a lifelong Charleston resident and Eastern graduate, is currently a substitute teacher at Charleston High School.

He said he would like to convert space from existing Charleston parks into a dog park.

Hutti said he is against the bar entry age being lowered because it would cause more problems.

He said if he were a city council member, he would like to gather business owners and residents to speak about what they want in terms of new businesses in the city.

Stopka, a graduate student at Eastern, is originally from Poland but acquired U.S. citizenship in 2008.

He said Charleston needs a dog park that will be safe for the dogs to exercise outside.

Stopka said instead of lowering the bar entry age, extending bar hours could be more beneficial to the city.

He said the city council needs to better promote businesses and the city so it will look more appealing those who may want to invest in the city.

The mayoral candidates will meet again at 7 p.m. on March 28 in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Amanda Wilkinson can be reached 581-2812 or [email protected].