Matthew Prudell does not want fluoride in Albany’s drinking water. In fact, it’s the sole reason he is running for City Council, he said, two leashes in hand as he walked his Pomeranians.
He’s one of four candidates in Ward 1, which includes North Albany, downtown and the Willamette neighborhood east of Lyon Street and north of Pacific Boulevard, with three of them chasing longtime Councilor Dick Olsen.
“We need to reject fluoride,” he said. He sported a sunhat, sunglasses and enthusiastically spoke with his hands.
Prudell considers himself a big reader, he said. He spends a lot of time on the internet researching topics.
It’s where he formed the belief that fossil fuels are not made of fossils and that fluoride can cause adverse health effects for people who are pregnant and other groups of people, he said.
The council had considered such a proposal in April, but it didn’t pass. Prudell was among those who spoke, pleading for fluoride be removed from the water in Albany, in opposition to doctors and dentists who also offered testimony.
Prudell said they had outdated information, and more recent findings show fluoride is harmful.
He doesn’t believe it is a controversial issue, but one he wholeheartedly believes is right, he said. When the council decision didn’t go his way, he decided to run to represent Ward 1.
Prudell isn’t a fan of textbooks or syndicated news, but he enjoys looking for information on Google or in books, he said. He believes seeking out knowledge is an important trait of a councilor.
“I don’t have all the answers, but I know how to find them,” he said.
He also believes his occupation as a general contractor makes him used to working with all sorts of people, experience that would serve him well as a councilor.
“I know how to get something done,” he said.
Prudell considers himself a “man of the people” who wants to do what is in the best interest of Albany residents.
He calls his race for the Ward 1 seat a call for those who have similar values as his own. And if nothing else, it will get people to talk more about fluoride, he said.
“People who love truth will vote for me,” he said.
*Original full-text article online at: https://democratherald.com/corvallis/news/local/elections/city/matthew-prudell-is-running-for-albany-council-to-rid-water-of-fluoride/article_810401b4-4e5f-11ed-b322-3b9f2bb7420f.html
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