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President O'Malley expressed agreement with Mr. Lawrence's statement, characterizing Lakewood as a"gateway to the middle class," and that Council needs to work hard to keep it that way. In response to a question, Mr. Lawrence discussed his position on abortion, stating that he didn't believe that either he or the government had any business in matters between patients and doctors. He added that as a catholic, he has additional personal beliefs on it, but that those are separate. In response to a question, Mr. Lawrence stated that if not appointed to Council that he intends to continue investing in Lakewood, experiencing Lakewood's culture and to keep attending Council meetings. In response to a question, Mr. Lawrence discussed how he could promote diversity as a councilmember including talking to as many different people as possible and to keep an open mind to all perspectives. Councilmember Bullock that Mr. Lawrence's unique professional experiences could be particularly useful as the city begins work in the Climate Action Plan. He asked Mr. Lawrence about his work style and how he would balance personal and collective priorities as a councilperson. Mr. Lawrence responded that he would focus on the goal and make sure that everyone had the same goal in mind. From there, he would divide a project into smaller parts, delegate, deliberate, and readjust. He expressed an appreciation for compromise. President O'Malley reviewed the next steps in the process and thanked Mr. Lawrence for his time. Lindsey Grdina Ms. Grdina made an opening statement discussing her experience, qualifications and vision for Lakewood. She has lived in Lakewood nearly two decades. She ran for the at-large position two years ago and sought an appointment at that time. Since then, she began serving on the Board of Trustees of the Lakewood Foundation and has continued her involvement in politics. She is running to ensure that Lakewood remains a leader in the region and is able to step in for residents and fill leadership gaps that she sees in federal and state governments. In response to a question, Ms. Grdina identified the economic impact of the pandemic as one of the most important issues facing Lakewood. She noted that the economic hits have greatly impacted women and female-headed households due to job losses and childcare crises. She proposed using ARPA funds to expand the childcare scholarship program and to start a new program whereby the city helps transform small neighborhood childcare arrangements into more formalized, licensed businesses for women. 3