RBCA Candidates Forum on Tuesday October 8

By Jerry Patterson, RBCA Vice President

Once again, Richmond Beach Community Association will hold its annual Candidates Forum on Tuesday, October 8, 7:00pm, in the basement of Richmond Beach Congregational Church located at 1512 NW 195th Street in Shoreline.

This is an opportunity for the community to learn what prospective office holders will do to better serve the needs of citizens. Our customized political forum helps strip away the one-size-fits-all campaign rhetoric and the thirty-second sound bites. The forum is one of the longest-running and best-attended events of its kind in the area. All candidates from elections in our area have been invited, including Shoreline School Board, Shoreline City Council, Ronald Wastewater District, Shoreline Fire Commissioner, King County Executive and King County Council District 1.

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.

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