Become Informed Prior To Voting
By LEIGH C. MERRIFIELD
News & Journal Editor
The public is invited to ‘Meet & Greet’ the candidates for Clarksburg City Council and the Clarksburg Water Board on Friday evening, June 2nd.
This event will be hosted at the Harrison County Senior Center’s 2nd floor ballroom with social time and light refreshments beginning at 5:30 p.m. The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. Organizers emphasize that this is NOT a debate, but an opportunity for the public to learn and gather information about the candidates, their vision and position on relevant issues.
Sadly, local elections often have poor voter turnouts. ‘So much to do and so little time’ is an often heard excuse for not visiting the polls. Or some may say that they are simply not well enough informed to make a decision. Well, this scheduled ‘Meet & Greet’ is the public’s opportunity to obtain the information to make a good decision! And what better way to judge the candidates than to see them and hear what they have to say?
Local elections do matter. Local officials are the ones who decide on the issues that affect the daily lives of their community’s residents. Voters are encouraged to attend and get to know those who are directly responsible for serving them in the communities in which they live.
Ten candidates are vying for four seats on Clarksburg City Council. Those candidates (listed alphabetically) include: Chuck Arnett, Margaret Bailey, Bob Caplan, Frank Ferrari, Marshall Goff, Ryan Kennedy, John Lopez, Jim Malfregeot, Thomas Saunders, and Dan Thompson.
Also participating will be the three candidates vying for two available seats on the Clarksburg Water Board. Those candidates (also listed alphabetically) are: Al Cox, Paul Howe, and Shane Shreves.
The format is as follows: Each candidate, chosen in alphabetical order, will be given four minutes for opening statements. Following this segment, candidates, chosen at random, will be presented with three questions; they may choose to answer one or all questions, but they have just three minutes to do so. The final segment will be two-minute closing statements, with candidates chosen at random. Candidates have been given the questions in advance.
The public is also invited to stay following the ‘Meet & Greet’ to visit with the candidates and ask questions of their own.
The goal of this event is to give voters the opportunity to become a more informed electorate.
The Clarksburg Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, June 6th. Remember, there is no such thing as an unimportant election!
If you have questions, please contact the Harrison County Senior Center at 304-623-6795.
