Louisville:
The League of Women Voters sponsored a forum on Saturday, September 29, it will be televised live on Cable Channel 8, and rebroadcast throughout the weeks leading up to the election.
Lafayette:
The Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee held a forum on Saturday Sept. 29 at Canon Mine Coffee; hopefully they'll be some coverage Wednesday in the Lafayette News.
Council Candidates have been invited to participate in a forum sponsored by the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County and the Human Service Alliance on Friday October 5, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM at the Lafayette Public Library, 775 West Baseline Road, Lafayette, CO 80026.
On Thursday, October 18 the League of Women Voters will sponsor a Candidates Night at City Hall in the Council Chambers at 6:30 pm. Candidates will have an opportunity to answer questions and share their opinions. This event is open to the public and will also be televised on Government Access Cable Channel 8 and will repeat throughout the weeks leading up to the election.
Longmont:
(From the TimesCall)The Longmont Area Democrats organization is devoting its monthly meeting to a candidates and issues forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday October 3 at the City Public Works Building, 375 Airport Road.
At 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11, voters can meet St. Vrain Valley school board and Longmont City Council and mayoral candidates at the 2007 Longmont Candidates Forum in the Albert E. James Auditorium at Longmont High School, 1040 Sunset St.
The mayoral and council candidates also have been invited to discuss their views on the Longmont area’s nonprofit organizations, and how local government can support such groups, during a Thursday luncheon sponsored by the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. That 11:30 a.m.-to-1:30 p.m. Thursday forum will be at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center’s museum classroom, 400 Quail Road.
What do you think of forums?What is the best format? My dealings with the 22-person/seven seat race in Boulder leads me to believe we need much higher signature thresholds to get on the ballot.
8 comments:
The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County has invited the candidates to discuss their views on nonprofit organizations at a "brown bag lunch city candidate forum" on Thursday, October 4, from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Longmont Museum's classroom, 400 Quail Road.
The Longmont Small Business Association has a candidate forum on Wednesday the 10 at 7pm at the Raddison Conference Center in Longmont.
At least two of the at-large candidates in Longmont will not attend the Longmont Area Democrats show and tell on the 3rd. Council races are non-partisan. The only group that thinks that they are partisan and willing to make a big deal out of it are the Democrats. Even candidates who are registered Dems are having an issue with their own party. We can only hope for a low turn out to punish them for their indecent behavoir.
Why do you pretend that city council races are non-partisan?
A candidate's party affiliation says something about their values and principles. It informs the voters about their philosophy of government, and indicates what kind of decisions they will likely make in office.
I would never favor a Democrat over a Republican candidate--even in a "non-partisan" race--because I support Republican values.
And let's face it. Your local elected officials probably effect you more than anyone in Washington D.C.
Indeed it is true that many voters want to know what a council candidate's party affiliation is, and for the very reason that you've stated. They believe that they can assess a candidate's values by his or her party affiliation.
Given what we've seen in recent years (of the current federal administration) many pundits (spin doktors) and a good deal of the public-at-large, many partisan voters are having issues with their own parties. To prove this, especially in our county, the largest growing party is a non-party. Voters are fleeing their parties and registering as unaffiliated. The unaffiliated voter is the largest voting segment in BC. That's true in many urban/suburban areas. My instincts and previous work in elections in BC tells me that more often than not it is Dems fleeing to independent.
Republicans in BC don't really have much choice but to vote for the most conservative candidate that they can find, from a field of Democrats.
You are also correct (IMHO) that the govt closest to you has the largest effect on you. So local elections are very important.
Must local elections be a primer for federal elections? Should we try to emulate what parties want, which is increasingly looking the same?
While campaigning (both now and in the past) I feel rather hampered by being forced to distinguish myself by party affiliation. I'm not going to change my stance on issues given whom I am talking to, but my words can fall on deaf ears once I've stated my party affiliation.
Voters have flat out told me that they would vote against someone from their old party. Vote against a candidate, rather than for one. Mindless!
Being a member of a third party gets extremist responses. From 3rd parties are not on the map, so you don't get their vote and they don't even want to hear what you have to say; to I'll vote for anyone who isn't a member of the dual sameness.
I'm fairly sure that when I am responding to voters who want to know party affiliation, that once it is stated I am speaking to them through a filter. It is their filter, not mine, so I can't tell how my ideas are coming across.
Fact, I'm a registered Libertarian. I was a Dem for a decade and active in that party, unaffiliated for many years, and a Republican for a month. Gee, I must be confused. You Bet!
I'm a Libertarian now, and I am convinced that I always was one, and so are members of both of the major parties, and just about everyone has some very libertarian values. I consider it a life philosophy. Unfortunately, there is a political party that shares some of the same values as I do, but not all.
And I am sure that is true for you in your party.
I strongly disagree with my party's stance on public transporation and in order to get my thoughts and ideas out to the voters about promoting rail I refrain from telling people that I'm a Libertarian. They ask, I tell, and then the automatic attenuator/interpreter turns on in their heads.
City charters and our state constitution provides that local elections are non-partisan. It was a wise choice in 1876, and an even better one now.
For what it's worth, I have no interest in party affiliation in local elections.
I don't identify with party ideology, and I don't think ideology is needed to run a city well.
Knowing a local candidate's party (or more so, caring what that party affiliation is) is just a lazy filtering exercise to broadbrush larger values pre-supposed to be championed by that person as reasons to support or oppose them. For example, you'll figure any Republican supports the president's policies; you'll then judge them based on your opinion of national policy issues. You'll figure any Democrat wants to open the borders for immigrants, and vote based on your opinion of that.
Local politicians are not going to impact such national/global issues. They are going to decide where growth happens, what services are championed or funded, and ultimately just how to spend the money coming in. Party affiliation is not a worthwhile consideration at the local level. If you can't take the time to read or listen to their responses to questions, don't vote. At our level we need committed workhorses, not idealogues.
There are plenty of us government employees who can't run in any partisan elections (Hatch Act), so I have a different take on it. Not that I ever plan on running, but at least I know I can. If one watches and listens enough, and if one wants to figure out someones party affiliation, they can. Usually it's pretty obvious.
The only thing I'll disagree with Dan about is when city councils start making stupid proclamations about national/intl hot button polarizing topics. Things that have nothing to do with running their city. They may not have much impact, but they waste their time doing it anyway.
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