Annexation mood softens during debate

If a majority of Avondale Estates’ five mayoral candidates once favored annexation, that mood was tempered during a two-hour debate Thursday before a jammed city hall of roughly 200.

In separate interviews after the debate, John Pomberg and Jonathan Elmore both favor the city’s annexation master plan, while Paul Brown and Todd Pullen said they were neither for nor against it. Jim Hutchens, the staunchest anti-annexation candidate, said he might now favor a limited plan.

The reason for all this moderation is likely Hutchens’ own online petition, posted two weeks ago, which has garnered only 118 anti-annexation signatures out of the 1,000 he was seeking. “I think that’s a very accurate representation of our city,” Acting Mayor Terry Giager said. “I’ve been saying all along 80 to 85 percent of our people favor annexation.”