A citizen request has grown into a candidates’ forum in Geary.
Geary city clerk Paula Reding sent word to the Watonga Republican last week that residents had been asking at City Hall if all the mayoral candidates would be speaking or taking questions from voters all together in one place at one time. She had no answer but reached out to the community newspaper.
With time short before the election, the decision was made to hold the event beginning at 6 p.m. March 30 at the Geary Community Building, with the Geary Chamber of Commerce as sponsor.
Connie Burcham, editor of the Watonga Republican, will serve as the moderator for the event. All six candidates have indicated they will attend. It should be noted Burcham cannot vote in the Geary election and is not related to anyone in Blaine County.
The questions – crafted from suggestions from election websites and personalized for small towns -- will be presented to the candidates in a random fashion. For example, each question will not be asked of each candidate in the same order. The candidates will not be presented with the questions in advance, and each answer will be timelimited.
If there remains time at the end of thequestion and answer session, the audience may present written questions to the candidates. These questions will be previewed by staff to ensure they are on topic, not personal attacks or inappropriate.
For more information contact Geary City Hall.