Student Leadership Johns Creek Sets Council Debate For Oct. 2

JOHNS CREEK, GA — Candidates for the three open Johns Creek city council posts 1, 3, 6 will participate in a debate on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Northview High School in the auditorium. The debate is being sponsored by the Johns Creek Community Association and facilitated by the Secretary of State Ambassadors representing Student Leadership Johns Creek.

“After researching and discussing topics about the community, I’ve really managed to get a better understanding of the importance of city government,” said Ambassador Kian Kermani. In preparation for the debate the students have interviewed city leaders and watched many videos of meetings available on-line to prepare all the questions.

According to Ambassador Olivia Shaffer, “watching the various city council meetings has helped me gain more knowledge of the issues that are deeply important to our community.”

The candidates include: Royce Reinecke, Dilip Tunki and Brian Weaver who are running for the open Post 2 seat vacated by Jay Lin; Kent Altom, Marybeth Cooper, Chris Coughlin (incumbent) and Adam Thomas contending for the Post 4 seat presently occupied by Chris Coughlin; and Erin Elwood, Judy LeFave and Issure C. Yang who are vying for the Post 6 seat vacated by Steve Broadbent.

Student Leadership Johns Creek is part of Leadership Johns Creek, which has been a highly valued part of the city for over 10 years. Student Leadership Johns Creek is a decidedly competitive program that encompasses all four high schools in Johns Creek (Centennial, Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and Northview). Currently there are 100 students participating in this 2-year program.

“The Student Leadership Johns Creek Secretary of State Ambassadors consist of 9 of our students who work in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s office to facilitate events to educate and encourage our citizens to become more involved in local politics,” said Executive Director Irene Sanders. “Hosting a candidate debate has become second-nature to this group after hosting multiple city council and state representative debates over the past two years.”

The event on Oct. 2 at Northview High School will be completely run by these nine students. They will come up with moderators, time keepers, a videographer, and all the questions. They have planned that all the questions will be put into a container and the moderator will draw a random question for alternating candidates to debate. A 30-minute meet and greet beginning at 6:30 p.m. will give the public an opportunity to meet all the candidates prior to the debate at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Sanders at sanders@leadershipjohnscreek.com, 404-406-0480 or visit the website.

The deadline for Johns Creek residents to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7. Early voting will be held Oct. 15 through Nov. 1 and early voting locations will be posted on the Fulton County elections website.

Absentee voters can view application information on the Fulton County elections website. Voters can locate their polling place on the Secretary of State website.

Click here for more information about Johns Creek Municipal Elections.