The League of Women Voters candidate forum happened!
And everyone did a great job. But guess who was a no-show?
If you guessed my opponent in district 5, you would be right! Democrats Alaynah Smith (district 7) and Connie Glave (district 4) participated, along with incumbent commissioners (both Republicans) Scott Noesen (district 7) and Gaye Terwillegar (district 4). I commend the two incumbents for participating in the forum. By the end of the evening, I think that we all agreed on the challenges facing Midland County. I should note that neither of the district 6 candidates [Sarah Schulz (D) or Eric Dorrien (R) ] were able to participate, so the five remaining participants were combined into one group for the forum, rather than being questioned in two groups. In his 12 years in office, the Republican incumbent in district 5 has been opposed three times (once by another Republican in the primary). Each time he has been invited to participate in a candidate forum sponsored by the league of Women Voters of the Midland area, and each time he has been a no-show. As I said in my closing statement in the forum, the job of county commissioner is less about political party and more about being willing to work as a team with the other commissioners and county staff to make sure government runs efficiently and effectively. The current county commissioners have not done a bad job; they have done a pretty good job in challenging circumstances. However, I believe that it's time for a new perspective on the county board, from someone who will be responsive to residents and their concerns.
The LWV forum is broadcast live on MCTV and then is available for replay on the MCTV Youtube channel, as well as ROKU, Apple TV, Amazon Fire devices and the Cablecast Community Media App on iOS and Android mobile devices.
Click here to go to the County Commissioner candidate forum. Other candidate forums are also available for viewing on the MCTV YouTube channel.
