NEAT will be hosting a "Meet the Candidates" forum on Wednesday, October 14th at 7 pm at the Green Street Arts Center. It is open to anyone and will be a great chance to meet some of the people running for local office and asking them questions that are important to you.
The format will be informal (no panel, no debate), so you'll have a chance to speak with the candidates that you are most interested in. Local elections affect your everyday life in real and important ways. From how your school is managed to trash pick-up, it is important that you vote and are educated about that vote.
It is important that we show our elected officials that we care so that they care about us! PLEASE come and meet the people who will serve you.
We will serve dinner and will offer childcare.Call NEAT for more info: 346-4845 or email neat@neatmiddletown.org
4 comments:
There is no such thing as a "candidates forum" with no panel and no debate. So how are people supposed to make decisions about who is the better candidate, is is based on who is most friendly or smiles more? Every candidate is breathing a sigh of relief knowing they will only have to be charming in a social context (as they are fed dinner), instead of perform under the pressure and accountability of a public format, knowing they might actually have to follow through on something they say. It is just a lazy way to act like youre doing something to educate people about the candidates. Should expect more from NEAT.
I believe that this will serve as an opportunity for people to meet candidates individually and discuss their concerns. I am personally pleased as a North End resident to have this opportunity through NEAT.
NEAT's goal in this event is to create a chance for everyday residents to interact with the people who will serve them.
As director of NEAT, I am able to do that on a regular basis and find the interactions extremely telling. The point of the event isn't to "catch" the candidates on issues -- we do that enough already. It's to get a sense of who the candidates really are.
Other groups are hosting debates and panel discussions and we encourage our members to attend those for a different perspective. We wanted to offer something different. So, if pinning a candidate to the wall on an issue is what you'd like to do, this is a great chance to do it in a more personal setting. Or, if you know nothing about the candidates and would like to go to one place to meet them all, this is a good chance for you, too.
I hope that you'll come and enjoy the company (and, yes, the dinner) with us tomorrow before you judge NEAT's motives.
Our goal is to encourage a well-educated citizenry. Between other debates and our event, we hope to achieve it.
Dear Anonymous 7:47
I think that your comment illustrates a few of the things that are wrong with the way that we pick our elected officials. In the type of forum that you are discussing only the loudest voices are heard. In an open forum - like the on NEAT is hosting - people who may not be comfortable asking the question in front of a group will have an opportunity to have their questions answered. I expect that people who attend tonights event will have the opportunity to ask the candidates any question that they like. I also expect that the candidates will give honest, well thought out answers. I do not under estimate my fellow voters and believe that they will waste an opportunity to discuss the issues one on one with candidates, however if they choose to pick their candidate based on who has the nicest smile, that is their right as a voter.
I think that is unfair to call any action taken by an organization to educate voters lazy. Any effort to increase voter awareness is positive.
Thank you NEAT for providing North End voters with an unique opportunity to learn more about the candidates. I certainly appreciate the approach. This is exactly what I expect from NEAT!
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