All eight candidates for a seat on the Fairmont City Council offered their ideas on a variety of subjects during a candidate forum on Thursday at Fairmont City Hall. All candidates were asked the same questions dealing with financing street improvements, handling city debt not included in the budget, use of the half-cent local option sales tax money, council priorities for 2021 and the need for more local child care providers. The forum featured at-large candidates Tom Hawkins and Michele Miller; Ward 4 candidates Wayne Hasek and Terry Anderson; and Ward 2 candidates Ruth Cyphers, Brittany Kawecki, Ron Lindberg and Joe Loughmiller. Most agreed on the need for street and infrastructure upgrades, attracting new businesses to provide jobs and amenities to draw in more people. Some favored spending more city money on trails then a community center.

Preceding the Fairmont City Council forum was one featuring District 23A State Representative Candidates Bjorn Olson and Pat Bacon. Both agreed on most things like getting a better focus from the state legislature about rural population issues, including broadband, but had differing opinions on Gov. Tim Walz handling of the coronavirus pandemic and whether or not their was a need for a bonding bill.