The Cadiz Record and WKDZ-FM co-sponsored a candidate forum at Trigg County High School. I co-moderated the event along with WKDZ News Director Alan Watts.
First, some thoughts from my perch at center stage:
– We highlighted only those races which will be contested in the Primary, and I was happy to see that of the 22 candidates in those races, all but three were able to attend the forum.
– There was an interesting mix of ideas and personalities on stage. Some speakers were quick and to-the-point, while others could certainly have used more time than our format allowed. All of them seemed prepared for most every question tossed their way and did a fine job of communicating their feelings to the audience.
– The audience was perhaps a little smaller than I’d hoped, but those that attended did a great job of submitting pointed and worthwhile questions to the candidates. Not all of their questions made the cut due to time constraints, but they’ll get another chance at our General Election Forum this Fall.
– Special thanks to Matt Ladd and all the folks at TCHS for preparing the Little Theater for us and allowing us to use it for the forum. Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped make the forum a success.
Since I was set to be on stage all night, I had our reporter Franklin Clark ready to cover the forum for the Record, and you can see his coverage in this issue. You’ll find coverage of each individual race, highlighting some of the questions asked and how each candidate responded. I believe voters should be able to use the information gathered from the candidates Monday to better prepare them for making their selection next Tuesday.
However, the candidates aren’t done. It’s been over three months since the final list of candidates was released, and in that time, those 22 candidates in contested races have been doing their best to prove to their constituents that they are the best choice. They’ve got one more week to continue that effort.
Of these six contested races, two winners will be deteremined in the Primary, as there are only Democrat candidates running for County Attorney and District 7 Magistrate. That shouldn’t lessen the importance of the other four races – Sheriff and Magistrates for Districts 1, 4 and 5. The Primary will whittle down the number of candidates in those races to one Democrat and one Republican.
Then, it all starts again. For the six months following the Primary, we’ll have 18 candidates in nine races, all of them clamoring for your support. All of it leads to that one day of reckoning in November.
And it all matters. What you want matters. What you need matters. What you ask matters. What they say matters.
Your vote matters. Who gets your vote matters.
Use this week to prepare yourself to push the right buttons next Tuesday.
Justin McGill is executive editor of The Cadiz Record and can be reached by email at jmcgill@cadizrecord.com.
