Candidate forums this month for Council, school board, state, federal offices

There will be two forums this month for candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education, and for Tennessee House and Senate and the U.S. House.

The forums are scheduled for September 17 and September 25. Both are in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater and are free and open to the public.

They’re sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and are in preparation of the November 4 state, federal, and local general election.

The first forum, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 17, will first feature candidates for House District 32 and House District 33, Tennessee 5th Senatorial District, and Tennessee 3rd Congressional District. Then, the double forum will feature candidates running for the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Melinda Hillman, vice president for advancement and community relations at Roane State Community College, will ask the candidates questions during the first part of the forum, and Matt Shafer Powell, executive producer and director of news content at WUOT, will ask questions during the second part.

In both portions, questions will also be collected from the audience, a press release said. Candidates with opposition have been invited to make a two-minute opening statement to the audience. In the event a candidate cannot attend, a substitute will be allowed to present a two-minute prepared statement on the candidate’s behalf. Substitutes will not be allowed to participate in the question-and-answer periods or closing statements.

The second forum starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 25, in the high school amphitheater. It will featured candidates for Oak Ridge City Council. The forum will be moderated by longtime League member Kathy Edwards, who will pose questions to the candidates. Questions will also be collected from the audience.

Early voting for the November general election begins on October 15 and runs through October 30.

The Oak Ridge High School is at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.