Don’t miss the RBCA Candidates Forum on October 9

By Dave Wight, RBCA Board Member, and Jerry Patterson, RBCA Vice-President

Once again, RBCA will hold the annual Candidates Forum on Tuesday, October 9, at 7pm in the basement of the Richmond Beach Congregational Church. This is an opportunity for the community to learn what prospective office holders will do to better serve the needs of Richmond Beach. Our customized political forums help strip away the one-size-fits-all campaign rhetoric and the 30-second sound bites. The forum is one of the longest-running and best-attended events of its kind in the area. All candidates for state, local, and judicial races have been invited.

RBCA will do their part by creating the forum. The candidates will do their part by presenting their views of how they can best serve the residents. You can do your part in two ways. First and foremost, show up! Second do your homework. Here are some Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind as you prepare to quiz the candidates in October:

• Do brush up on your Junior High Civics. Make sure your questions fit the office being discussed.
• Do keep a watchful eye on the news in the next several weeks. Inquire about ongoing or impending issues, grounded in fact…not rumor.
• Don’t make speeches or declarations under the guise of asking a question. In other words, leave the campaigning to the campaigners.
• Don’t treat any candidate with disrespect. Stick to the issues, not personalities.
• Do stick to one issue at a time.
• Don’t try to play “gotcha” to embarrass a candidate, just because the candidate holds a different view than you do.

Finally, keep in mind that the Candidates Forum is a moderated event so that we can make the best use of time, both for the candidates and the community members. Community members will be asked to pose questions on cards made available. In the interest of time and fairness, similar questions from multiple people will be combined, and the moderator reserves the right to reject any question that is either inapplicable, multi-layered, or party platform talking points.

If the past is any barometer, we should have a great turnout and a lively discussion.