Friday, October 5, 2001
Friday, October 5, 2001 |
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PTC council candidates to face the music at Rotary event Tuesday night By JOHN
MUNFORD
Peachtree City voters will have a chance to grill candidates for the upcoming city election Tuesday night at a meet the candidates forum hosted by the local Rotary Club. The event, a tradition since 1986, will be held at the auditorium of the Wyndham Conference Center from 7-9 p.m. All 10 candidates have confirmed their attendance, said Rotarian Frances Meaders, who is helping organize the event. "Two hours may not be enough with that many candidates, but we'll do what we can," Meaders said. "It's a lot of fun and a good way for the public to see the candidates and what they stand for." Candidates will have a brief one- or two-minute time limit to respond to each question, Meaders said. Also, candidates will not be allowed opening statements; instead, they will get two minutes at the end of the event for closing remarks. A three-member panel will open the floor with several questions. Citizens will be asked to write their questions and hand them to runners, who will deliver the questions to the panel. Only issue-related questions will be accepted for presentation to the candidates. The goal is to get to the citizen-suggested questions as soon as possible, Meaders said. Audience members may designate their questions to a specific candidate, but each candidate for that particular post will be given a chance to respond if they wish, Meaders said. The forum will be moderated by Doug Warner, a past president of the Rotary Club. "We usually have a full house," Meaders added, noting that the success of the forum depends largely on audience participation. Since current mayor Bob Lenox is serving his second consecutive term, the city is guaranteed to have a new mayor. Four residents have qualified for the post, including Steve Brown, Dan Lakly, Frank Murphy and Gary Rower. Candidates for the Post 4 council seat are Alison Chambers, Carol Fritz, Gerald John Ostrowski and Murray Weed; the seat is currently held by Fritz. Candidates for the Post 3 seat are Steve Rapson, the incumbent, and Nancy Faulkner.
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