MARSHALL — Getting through the COVID-19 crisis was a topic that hung over a lot of the discussion at Tuesday’s forum for Marshall mayoral candidates. The pandemic is a challenge that will affect everything from public health to challenges the city’s economy will face in the future, candidates said.

When asked about his priorities for the city, Lyon County Commissioner and Marshall mayor candidate Steve Ritter said, “The top one right now is obviously trying to keep a handle on this COVID thing.” Ritter said it’s difficult to say how Marshall could solve the COVID-19 problem, but public health education efforts from agencies like Southwest Health and Human Services should continue.

Both current Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes and candidate Noel Ayala agreed that COVID-19 response was a priority for the city, among several other priorities.

“It is a big issue,” said Ayala. He said Marshall has been lucky to have Dr. Steven Meister on the city council, to help with health messages the city has been broadcasting for the public.

As candidates spoke about their priorities for the city, economic development emerged as another major topic.

“Another issue is the workforce. I think probably the unemployment rate here is under 2%,” Ritter said. Ritter said Marshall needs to retain young people to build its workforce. Along with that, having available housing for the workforce is a priority for the city, he said.

Ritter said his long-range vision for Marshall would be to continue the history of teamwork that Marshall has shown with Lyon County and other area communities. As a county commissioner, Ritter said, he had seen the good that collaborative efforts, from city/county projects like the Camden bike trail, to organizations like the Marshall-Lyon County Library and Southwest Health and Human Services, can bring.

“We need to continue that because everybody gains on it by having a collaboration,” Ritter said.

As he talked about his priorities, Ayala expanded on the topic of housing needs in Marshall.

“The experience I have had is, you look for affordable housing, but yet you come to the conclusion of finding a home that you have to pay three times more than what your (pay)check is, and you have to find three or four jobs. So I really will push for affordable housing in Marshall,” he said.

Ayala said Marshall needed to focus on the younger generation to help build up its workforce too.

In the long term, Ayala said Marshall has developed good community resources and communication with surrounding communities, which will be important to continue.

Byrnes agreed with all the issues raised by Ayala and Ritter, but said planning for Marshall’s future involved a lot of things. In addition to workforce and housing issues, he said, “We need to be sure to tell our story.”

“We have a lot of good things going on in southwest Minnesota and Marshall, and we need to probably do a better job of telling that story” through marketing, he said.

Byrnes said Marshall is also faced with some major construction projects that will be important to see through, including renovations at City Hall, major renovations and equipment updates at the city wastewater plant, and preparations for highway improvements that will affect downtown.

“Planning is really in the next few years for the full, complete reconstruction of Highway 19 through downtown Marshall,” Byrnes said. It’s a state project, but the city will also need to plan ahead.

As a long-range vision, Byrnes said he wanted to see Marshall grow. Over the past few years, the city has been able to grow jobs and keep its property tax levy lower than many comparable communities, he said. ”

We’ve been able to be the kind of community where families choose to live, and that really is my vision to continue in the future,” Byrnes said.

Candidates were also asked how they thought Marshall could compete with South Dakota.

“It’s the workforce, retaining people to live in this community, and making it competitive,” Ritter said.

Byrnes said a key factor was the quality of jobs, employers and workers in the Marshall area, as well as amenities in the community. Marshall had some advantages over South Dakota, like lower property taxes, he said.

“We need to focus on all of those things, and we need to really market that,” he said.

Ayala said he would lean less toward trying to attract large corporate businesses to Marshall, and more toward smaller businesses. The number of important services and amenities available in Marshall was a strength for the community, he said.

“In Marshall, we provide everything localized, four or five miles from point A to point B,” he said.