Daily Citizen-News/Charles OliverDalton City Council member Gary Crews speaks at a forum at the Mack Gaston Community Center Monday night as, from left, fellow City Council candidates Edgar Rincon, Annalee Harlan and Aaron Marcelli listen.

DALTON, Ga. — Diversity was one of key themes Monday night at a candidates forum at Dalton’s Mack Gaston Community Center.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics now make up 47.9 percent of the city’s population and blacks 8 percent of the population. And several questions at the forum — hosted by the Concerned Citizens of Dalton, the Coalition of Latino Leaders, the Dalton-Whitfield NAACP and the Woman’s Community Club — focused on how candidates in the Nov. 7 races for the board of education and City Council would help the city deal with this diversity.

Council member Gary Crews said he would focus on making sure that city government is responsive to the needs of small business owners.

“The majority of our new businesses now are created by Latinos, especially on the east side,” he said. “I’ve spoken in other forums about making our website available in Spanish. We already have bilingual employees in our city clerk’s office. I think we also need to work to keep our taxes low and to make sure that we have a good business climate for small business.”

Edgar Rincon, who is challenging Crews for the Ward 4 seat on the council, said he would try to set an example.

“You generally don’t have a lot of Hispanic people show up for City Council meetings or school board meetings,” he said. “Maybe they are afraid. I want to encourage them to show up. I want to show them they don’t have to be afraid.”

Annalee Harlan, who is running for the Ward 2 seat currently occupied by Tate O’Gwin, who is not seeking re-election, said she would work to make the city’s police and fire department’s look more like its population.

“You won’t do that overnight,” Harlan said. “The key is to develop your own talent. I’d work with high school students and recent high school graduates to make them see that public safety is a viable career choice.”

Aaron Marcelli, who is also seeking the Ward 2 seat, said he would work to improve communication with all parts of the community.

“Communication is vital, especially in a diverse community,” he said.

School board member Steve Laird pointed to the difference in the facilities at Dalton High School and Morris Innovative High School and said he would work to improve the latter.

“We have to treat everyone equally and fairly,” he said.

Matt Evans, who is challenging Laird, said the first step in dealing with diversity is to “categorically denounce racism.”

“By 2042, the United States will be a majority-minority nation,” he said. “Dalton is already a majority-minority city. We need to be an example of leadership.”

School board member Sherwood Jones noted that Dalton’s latest group of teachers of the year included several Hispanic teachers who were products of Dalton Public Schools.

“We need to develop more leadership from within by encouraging more minority teachers to want to come back to Dalton to teach and become administrators,” he said.

Palmer Griffin, who is challenging Jones, seconded that idea, but he said the district can’t be afraid to look to other districts to see what they are doing to encourage and attract minority teachers.

“And we can’t be afraid to steal their leaders if they are doing something right. There’s nothing wrong with stealing if it’s done the right way,” he said to much laughter.

John Conley, who is also challenging Jones, also said the school system needs to encourage more minority teachers, but he said it also needs to focus on stopping bullying.

“That’s an effort that needs to start early,” he said.