The two candidates for College Park’s District 3 City Council seats said at a forum Monday they plan to get more residents involved with the city and improve public safety — without creating a city police force — after the Nov. 4 election.

Dan Oates, who lives in Calvert Hills, and Ray Ranker, of College Park Estates, also pointed to the need for affordable housing in the city, even as they support development.

“I just love our people,” Ranker said at the forum, hosted by College Park Here & Now and moderated by WTOP radio anchor Shawn Anderson. “The people are what make College Park great. I love bringing people together, your ideas, your expertise.”

Ranker and Oates, who shared the stage with College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir, are running unopposed for the two District 3 council seats. Kabir also is running unopposed.

Oates, a first-time candidate, will fill the seat that Councilmember John Rigg will vacate at the end of his term in December after an eight-year stint in office. Ranker, an incumbent, won his seat in a special election in March.

Ranker is chaplain of the Lutheran Campus Ministry. Oates previously served as president of the Calvert Hills Citizens Association and is a global technology policy adviser for the federal government.

Kabir, who is running unopposed for his second full term as mayor, initially won the seat in 2023 during a special election. He said his biggest achievement during his term was completing the first phase of a major project that improved safety and traffic flow along Baltimore Avenue.

He also said he does not support an increase in property taxes and will advocate for zoning and land-use authority to be transferred from the county to the city.

“I think it’s a winning situation for both the county and the city because if the city has authority we can make our own decisions and then the county doesn’t need to deal with those cases,” Kabir said.

Kabir said while College Park is a safe place to live, law enforcement could be improved. He recommended increasing the presence of Prince George’s County police or creating a small, city-run police department.

Ranker and Oates said they oppose creating an independent police force in College Park and instead support researching other ways to improve public safety. Ranker said creating a city police force would raise taxes, noting that measures like adding more security cameras or blue light phones may be more effective.

“I think jumping to the answer of ‘we need a police force’ is premature,” Oates agreed. “I think there’s more work to be done … to really better understand the problem.”

Regarding the city budget, Oates said he wants to change the way the city presents it so residents have a clearer understanding of how their tax dollars are spent.

Ranker said he wants more input from residents on the budget.

He supported an amendment to the last budget to increase the number of economic development grants for businesses to start up, relocate or improve.

WTOP’s Anderson pointed out that five small businesses on Baltimore Avenue near Hartwick Road have been evicted to make space for a student apartment building.

Ranker said apartment complexes contribute more tax dollars to the city than all residential properties combined. Oates agreed that investing money into the local community by building apartment complexes is “a great thing.”

Still, the candidates said they want to do more to bring affordable housing to the city.

Ranker said he would like the county to require apartment complexes to reserve a percentage of units to be affordable. Oates recommended working with UMD to ensure affordable housing for students now and in the future.

Residents can vote for mayor and council on Nov. 4 at City Hall or participate in early voting on Nov. 2 at Davis Hall in North College Park.

“We’re going to be a team to work together and to really bring the best for District 3 in the city,” Ranker said.