Williamsburg City Council candidates Stacy Kern-Scheerer and Eino Korpela found common ground on several city issues Tuesday night, but split over whether Williamsburg should maintain its three-person occupancy rule.
The League of Women Voters Williamsburg Area and the York-James City-Williamsburg NAACP jointly sponsored Tuesday’s forum at the Williamsburg Regional Library.
Kern-Scheerer, an incumbent seeking a second term, said the city should maintain its three-person occupancy rule and existing exception allowing four unrelated people in qualifying homes.
Korpela said the rule should be amended, arguing the city should focus instead on problems such as noise, trash, overcrowding and parking. “Having a fourth or fifth roommate doesn’t necessarily make a house a bad neighbor,” he said.
Carolyn Murphy, the third candidate seeking one of two seats on City Council, did not attend the forum. Organizers said Murphy was out of town and had asked to participate remotely, but they could not accommodate a virtual option.
The candidates were more closely aligned on the city’s use of Flock license-plate cameras.
