Area residents will get a chance to hear from candidates running for countywide and statewide offices during candidate forums later this week and next week.
According to a news release, the Mar-Saline Branch of the NAACP has scheduled a candidate forum for county officials beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 5, at the Martin Community Center in Marshall.
The Candidate Forum will feature those seeking county positions, facing opposition: Prosecutor, Recorder of Deeds and Circuit Clerk. The goal of the forum is for voters in Saline County to meet and ask questions of those seeking office. Those running unopposed are welcome, and they will be given time to speak, but will not entertain questions.
At 6 p.m. on Friday, October 12, at the Martin Community Center, the forum for the state candidates (State Representative – District 51 and District 46) will be held.
Ken Lewellen, former news director at KMMO, will be the moderator.
The format for each forum is simple– as voters enter the forum, they will be given a card by the greeter; write their question on the card(s) and pass them on to a screener. The screener will collect all written questions and consolidate all like questions and feed questions to the moderator. The screener will eliminate questions that are unclear, hostile, of a personal nature or inappropriate to the office, and put aside questions for specific candidates until there is one for each candidate. All questions asked during the forum will be screened for fairness and subject matter.
You are advised to arrive early in order to write out your questions before either forum begins.