The Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Press Banner are co-sponsoring two candidate forums, one for the City Council, on Oct. 6, and one for the school district Board of Trustees, on Oct. 18..
Our goal is to present a fair and impartial forum where candidates can be asked questions about important issues facing the city of Scotts Valley, and also be given an opportunity to deliver their message directly to voters.
Each forum will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Candidates may distribute campaign materials outside of the meeting room.
Here are the format and ground rules for the CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM, on Oct. 6. The school board forum will be similar, but with different times, because eight candidates will be participating.
The forums will be held in the Santa Margarita Community Room, lower level of the Scotts Valley Water District office, 2 Civic Center Drive, Scotts Valley. Our special thanks to the water district for supplying the meeting room for both events.
Special thanks also are in order for Scotts Valley High School Principal Valerie Bariteau and Randy Klein, youth chairperson of the Rotary Club of Scotts Valley and co-owner of the Tutoring Club, for recruiting our student helpers for the events.
The forum will be 90 minutes, from 6-7:30 p.m.
All five candidates, Dene Bustichi, Jack Dilles, Rosanna Hererra, Randy Johnson, and Donna Lind, said they will attend.
Seating will be in alphabetical order, left to right.
Danny Reber, executive director of the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsor of the forum, will welcome the candidates and audience on behalf of the Chamber and the Press Banner, the other co-sponsor of the forum.
Note: The public elects new council members every two years – three then two – and the council each year selects the mayor. In 2016, the public will be electing three council members.
Press Banner Editor Barry Holtzclaw will act as moderator.
Ground rules: This forum is designed to give all candidates an equal opportunity to address specific issues. Each question will be directed at all of the candidates.
The questions were selected from among topics identified by Chamber members and Chamber officials, and Press Banner readers and editors.
There will be no direct questions from the audience. However, if anyone in the audience wants to suggest a question that would be appropriate to ask every candidate, cards will be distributed, and collected at the break, at the 45-minute mark. The moderator may select one or more questions from those submitted by the audience.
Any applause or outbursts will be discouraged, as it will cut into the time allotted for the speakers. The audience also will be asked to avoid any comments or conversation.
Each candidate will be given up to two minutes to answer each question, with no carryover time from any previous question.
If a candidate specifically mentions another candidate or category of candidates – such as “the incumbents” or “ the challengers” etc. – in an answer, then that candidate or candidates in a category will be given a one-minute opportunity each for a rebuttal, with no counter-rebuttal.
In the interest of time, there will be no opening statements. The mid-term break will be five minutes.
Each candidate will be given an opportunity for a closing statement of up to three minutes, with the sequence of these remarks chosen at random prior to the forum.
This session is being recorded, and the Press Banner may publish excerpts in its report in the Oct. 14 edition.
If you would like to suggest a question for the candidates, please email
pb******@pr*********.com
