Reflections on the ISD 833 Candidate Forum

Candidate forums hosted by the League of Women Voters is an honored tradition in our community and plays and important role in bringing candidates for public office into a neutral setting for a discussion on the issues.  I have attended those forums in the past and watched them on television but last night was the first time I participated in a forum as a candidate.   If you did not get a chance to attend the forum or watch it live you may still view the forum by going to the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission’s website http://www.swctc.org/ and follow the prompts to the election coverage.

I cannot speak for all of the candidates that participated but I know most of us were a bit nervous going into the forum.  We knew that we would have to be ready to answer questions from our community as well as providing the public with a brief glimpse at who we are, why we are seeking a seat on the school board and what makes us qualified to ask for the public to support us by giving us their vote.  Because of the large number of candidates we were divided into two groups.  The first thing I noticed was even though the League hoped for everyone to participate that some candidates were conspicuously absent.  I am not sure how to react to the lack of attendance by Safiyyah Cummings, Wayne Johnson, Mike Thissen, David Firkus, Leilani Holstadt and Susan Richardson.  But I do know they have deprived the public of seeing them answer questions in a public forum where their answers on the issues could be compared with those of the other candidates.   Of the remaining 11 participating candidates four are incumbents seeking reelection.  Both forums were conducted smoothly by the LWV and afterwards I believe all of us were relieved to have completed this important part of the election process.  We all had our moments of being a bit tongue tied but overall I believe we all did a great job of presenting to the voters what makes us all unique candidates.

I am not going to go through and critique each question and answer as it would be just easier for those that are interested to watch a replay of the forum.  It is safe to say we all might want a second chance at some of the questions but in a live candidate forum part of the “fun” is the spontaneity.  After participating in one forum and then watching the second forum I believe that there are many of us that want the same things for the district.  We may have slightly different approaches and perspectives but we all care about continuing to make ISD 833 the best possible school district for our students and learners of all ages and learning styles.  At the conclusion of the evening I was proud to be a part of a group of candidates that have such great expectations for our district and found that we share very similar positions on what the district needs to be doing.  Not surprisingly the majority of the candidates understand the importance of the passage of the levy questions on the ballot.  If they fail the district faces tough decisions on where to cut services, staffing and programs.

I encourage everyone to listen to the forums and to make an informed decision about who they should vote for.  My candidacy for the school board is based on my belief that we should have a representative board that reflects the diversity of our community.  I hope after listening to the forum that you will understand that I am not afraid to ask questions and deal with tough issues. But most importantly I am a regular guy that wants to provide a voice of reason on the board.  I ask for your vote on November 5th.