2019 General Election

League of Women Voters' forums give voters face-time with local candidates

Pared-down match-ups streamline process

Posted

Two forums in Port Townsend and one in Chimacum will give local voters a chance to take the measure of neighbors running for seats on the Port Townsend City Council, the Port Commission and Chimacum School Board.

The first, on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. pairs Chuck Fauls and Pam Petranek, the candidates for Port Commission District 1.

Free coffee and cookies are served by the League of Women Voters, which organizes the forums.

Siobhan Canty, CEO of the Jefferson Community Foundation, will serve as moderator of the event, which is scheduled to last approximately one hour. It will be held at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.

Port Commissioners face numerous thorny issues, including selection of maintenance priorities among a list that stretches from the Quilcene/Dabob Bay boat ramps to Point Hudson and its crumbling breakwater.

Port Commissioners have placed on the ballot a significant tax levy to cover new costs, which some taxpayers have begun to challenge.

There is no charge to attend the event, though the League does solicit donations to cover the cost of refreshments.

Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., also at Port Townsend Community Center, ; moderator Shelly Randall will keep order during a forum featuring two contested races and two uncontested races.

Each race will be allowed approximately 30 minutes.

In the race for City Council Position 3: Monica MickHager seeks to unseat incumbent Deborah Stinson, who was appointed Mayor by the current city council.

In that race, a campaign of Opinion Page letters to The Leader have highlighted Stinson's experience and active engagement in the community, while opponents have cast MickHager as an insurgent who will battle for working class Port Townsendites.

In the race for City Council Position 6: Bernie Arthur and Amy Howard face off.

In Position 7: incumbent David Faber’s opponent has withdrawn from the race. Faber will be invited to attend and be introduced, but not to participate in the forum, to save time for the contested races.

In Position 4: Owen Rowe, uncontested candidate, will be invited to attend. Like Faber, he is invited to attend and meet voters during the breaks, but will only be introduced.

Monday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m. at Tri-Area Community Center, 10 West Valley Road, Chimacum, moderator, Renee Klein will preside over a forum for candidates for Chimacum School Board. Approximately 30 minutes will be allotted to each of three races.

For Position 2: Mike Aman faces Mickey Nagy

For Position 3: Steve Martin faces Kristina Mayer

For Position 4: Michael Raymond and Tami Robocker

“The League of Women Voters of Jefferson County and AAUW-Port Townsend are sponsoring these forums as a service to Jefferson County voters,” said forums Chair Dennis Daneau of the League of Women Voters. “The forums will help voters get the information they need to make informed choices in the November 5 general election.”

Daneau said that AAUW members nationwide are encouraging young millennial voters to get registered and vote in November.

For information, contact Dennis Daneau, LWVJC chair, at lwvjeffcowa@gmail.com