CARRBORO - OWASA's access to Jordan Lake water, affordable housing and Carrboro's anti-lingering ordinance dominated the conversation at a Democratic campaign forum Thursday night.

The forum, held in the OWASA Community Room, was sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Women and the Orange County Young Democrats.

Four Board of Aldermen candidates - incumbents Dan Coleman and Lydia Lavelle, and challengers Braxton Foushee and Michelle Johnson - are vying for three seats. Mayor Mark Chilton is running unopposed.

All the candidates agreed the anti-lingering ordinance needs to be repealed or revised to take both day laborers' rights and neighborhood needs into consideration.

They differed on whether OWASA needs access now to its Jordan Lake water allocation. The current board rejected the plan earlier this year, citing concerns about water quality and whether the water was needed at all.

The candidates also discussed working with the nonprofit Community Home Trust and using the town's Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund to help residents making less than 60 percent of the median income, or roughly $56,000 annually, with affordable housing.

Foushee, who previously served 13 years as an alderman, said he would like to redefine affordable housing as "work force affordable" so that the janitor, the McDonald's employee and other lower-income residents can afford to buy a home.