"Whoever is elected mayor, the issue is not going to go away," he said. "Whether the initiatives are voted for or against, the issues are still going to be there and the mayor will have to deal with them. . . . Whatever happens, the mayor will have to work to bring people back together."

Franson, like incumbent council candidate Brian Brunson, said he would have liked to see other issues play as big a role in the campaign as the initiatives have. For Franson, growth management is a high priority, while Brunson said he would like to focus on improving public safety, where police and ambulance coverage are strained.

Brunson said he voted to reject the initiatives because the issues needed to be decided by residents, but he doesn't think the present initiatives will truly solve the problems they address.

"I think there are better alternatives to all three of those issues," he said. "(The initiatives) bring out issues and concerns that need to be addressed, but I don't think they're the best solution."

City Council candidate Claudia Stillman said she does not support the initiatives because "they would have legal and financial consequences that are not in the best interest of the citizens of Highland."

"I believe that the central issue in the election is the selection of qualified, capable individuals who the public can trust to continue to lead the city in a positive direction that will preserve our common values," she said.

Teri Jerman, also running for City Council and opposed to the initiatives in their present form, echoed that sentiment. She said that since the initiatives will be decided by voters, the candidates should be focusing on other issues.

"One of our challenges will be to continue to implement the (master) plan, with slight modifications so that Highland can be all that was envisioned ," she said.

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