For the past few months the forum steering team has been hard at work to arrange candidate forums for this fall. There will be five in-person forums:
- for County Executive on September 27
- for Mayor and Council of Ferndale on September 28
- for County Council on October 3
- for Sheriff on October 4
- for Mayor and Council of Bellingham on October 17
All except the Ferndale forum will be carried live on BTV, but only people attending in person will be able to ask questions of the candidates. The times and locations of the forums are listed on our website: https://lwvbellinghamwhatcom.org/election-forums.
What issues do you most want the candidates to address? Let us know by completing this Issue Submission Form.
In a new procedure, the forum for Sheriff candidates will be preceded by a live debate on the jail levy that will be on our ballots in November. The issues surrounding this levy are complex, with passionately held positions on both sides, and the debate will provide a unique opportunity to be informed and decide how to vote on this proposal.
Besides the in-person candidate forums, there will be four forums on Zoom:
- for the Ferndale and Mount Baker School Districts on October 6
- for the Meridian and Bellingham School Districts on October 10
- for the Blaine School District and City Council on October 12
- for the Lynden School District on October 18
Neither candidate in the sole race for the Nooksack School District was able to participate.
The people who serve on school district boards set policy for our children’s education and thereby influence the kind of adults and citizens they will become. Candidates for these boards deserve your full attention, and the best opportunity for learning where they stand may be offered by our forums. Links for the Zoom forums will be available on our website, and anyone may use them.
You don’t need to be told how strongly actions of local officials affect our daily lives, or how important it is for voters to choose those officials based on knowledge of their views. Please urge your friends and neighbors to attend our candidate forums, whether in person, on BTV, or by Zoom.