Voters have the opportunity to meet candidates and ask questions at 5:30 p.m. April 10 at Fort Loudoun Middle School. All local candidates will be invited to participate. Early voting begins April 16.
Michael Bobo, chamber president, said residents will get the chance to speak with each candidate and pick up any campaignmaterials available.
“The chamber feels a responsibility to give a forum for the public to get to know the candidates better before the election,” Bobo said.
Bobo said the chamber was in the process of sending invitations and hoped to have a good turnout. A specific location inside the school has not been set, he said.
“We’ve got a couple of different options and we’re kind of looking at tables and whatnot, so we’ve not determined quite yet which part of the school we’re going to be in,” Bobo said. “We’re working with the principal and superintendent of schools.”
Admission will be free.
“A key goal of this forum is to provide another way for voters to learn more about local candidates and why they are seeking the office,” Steve Meadows, News-Herald editor and publisher, said. “It’s hard to make an intelligent decision based on the cacophony of signs littering the sides of Loudon County roadways. The first hour of the event will allow residents to speak directly to a candidate and ask some specific questions.
“That portion of the evening also gives candidates the opportunity to connect with interested voters,” he said.
The community’s newspaper will be providing additional election coverage in the future, and a number of candidates are already using advertising in the News-Herald and The Connection in Tellico Village to get their message out to potential voters, Meadows said.
Each candidate will also have the chance to share a short message with voters in attendance.
“There are so many candidates across the spectrum of different offices open in this round that we’re hoping to bring some clarity to the understanding of the position, the different candidates, for the voting public,” Bobo said.