Crowd at candidate's forum: savvy and encouraging

I was just reflecting on the events of the final Tarpon Springs City Commission Candidate's forum held at our Community Center last evening. The gathering was hosted by the Tarpon Springs Democratic Club, under the capable leadership of its president, Gerald Goen.

As the proceedings began to unfold I looked out in the crowd and saw a sea of concerned citizens who looked to be anxious to get an earful from those of us who hope to become Tarpon's next Seat 4 City Commissioner. The size of the crowd was impressive, almost as much so as the VIP makeup of the group. A full compliment of current Commissioners were joined by former ones and other civic leaders.

But to me, the most impressive group was comprised of ordinary, tax paying residents of our great city who took time out of their busy schedules to size-up the candidates who hope to have a say in the affairs of our city. "I refuse to vote for somebody I haven't laid eyes on," one such citizen said to me before the meeting was called to order.

Ah, my kind of voter I thought.

Attendees authored a first-class selection of questions that were both timely and relevant. I believe the entire lineup of candidates expressed their opinions honestly and clearly in their candid responses.

And that's what it's all about.

I left the event with a positive feeling that even in these difficult and stressful times, people still consider gatherings such as this meaningful and worthy of their investment in time.

Now let's hope that same sense of civic responsibility wins the day on March 12!