AAUW Candidate Forum set for Oct. 5

DAYTON–The American Association of University Women will hold a Candidates Forum at the Liberty Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

The public is advised to arrive at 6:30 p.m. in the theater foyer where they will be able to fill out question cards for some of the candidates before the Forum begins. A "Meet and Greet" session will occur at the end of the Forum.

There will be two parts to the agenda schedule for the Forum this year.

Part 1 Schedule–Candidates running in six races: for U.S. Senate; U.S. Representative; WA State Representative, Positions 1 and 2; Columbia County Commissioner, Position 3; and Columbia County Sheriff have been invited to the Forum. Cards for submitting questions to these candidates can be filled out and placed in boxes marked for each of the six races before the Forum begins. The provided question cards must have the questioner's name and place of residence written on each card placed in a box.

After each candidate in a race gives their statement, cards will be drawn randomly from the boxes by the AAUW moderator who will read the question to the audience and each candidate will be given two minutes to answer the questions from the cards. Because of time constraints, no questions (outside of those written on cards put in the boxes before the Forum started) will be taken from the audience.

Part 2 Schedule–The intention of forming a Columbia County Joint Metropolitan Park District (JMPD) will be on the November ballot as will five board positions for the new "JMPD". The City Council Parks and Recreation Chair, Jim Su'euga, has agreed to explain the ballot measure to the audience. Then candidates for the board positions will come to the stage and be introduced by the AAUW moderator.

The candidates for each board position will answer two questions: A) What motivated you to run for this position? B) Can you prioritize the recreational needs that you see for our community? Board candidates will each have 3 minutes to answer the two questions.

AAUW appreciates the Liberty Theater for providing the venue for our Forum. Covid mask policy will be that of the Liberty Theater–optional, but recommended.

The Forum is a free public event. It will not be hybrid/ZOOM-facilitated. Please make your own risk-assessment for attending.

-Submitted by Sherrie Flaman Kiefer.