By Debra Hawkins

October 17, 2007 | SMITHFIELD -- The growing population of the city and recent gang problems were the topic of questions facing the candidates running for Smithfield City Council, at Tuesday's "Night out with the Candidates."

Candidates Deon Hunsaker, Brent Buttars, Dee Wood, Janice Mikkelsen and Michael Oliverson were asked what they thought were the most important issues in Smithfield and what they planned to do about them if elected.

Every candidate mentioned growth as one of the issues they found most important to Smithfield.

"Growth is a major problem facing Smithfield," Buttars said. "Within 25 years, the population of the valley is going to double. We can't shut the doors to people and since birth control is really the only way to control growth, we need to do our best to accommodate the people who want to live here."

Oliverson said one of the biggest problems with growth that he wanted to focus on if elected was how it affects the agricultural community.

"I have grown up with with the growth of the city and I think what we need to focus on it maintaining the agricultural atmosphere," Oliverson said.

Mikkelsen said her concern with growth was mostly with the strain it puts on city programs and facilities.

"I am concerned about the growth because of the strain that it puts on programs like youth sports," Mikkelsen said.

Other council candidates, including Wood, said growth can create some negative problems including gangs.

"I am concerned about the negative things like gangs," Wood said. "We need to be proactive about the infiltration of our society."

Smithfield is having problems with gangs spraying graffiti in places around the city, Wood said. All candidates agreed that the city needs to defend against these gangs by removing the graffiti and not letting them mark Smithfield as their territory.

"It would be nice to just boot [gang members] out of town but that is not a possibility," Wood said. "We've got to live with the gang members, but we don't have to accept what they are doing."

Mikkelsen said she thought a solution to the gang problem was the youth programs.

"Everyone talks about growth and the problems that are coming with it," Mikkelsen said. "The gangs are a problem but youth programs curb that."

Another item the candidates said they felt was important to talk about was the progress of the new proposed city library.

"The No. 1 reason I am running for re-election is the building of the city library," Wood said. "I am here because I want to see that library built."

The library caused some controversy between the candidates, some wanting a new library built, and some wanting the current library expanded.

"We looked at expanding the current library from the start," Hunsaker said. "The armory [the current proposed site to build a new library], costs too much money to heat and a structural engineer said it was not worth saving the building, so we should use the site to build a new library."

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