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Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 10/08/2010 10:19 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 10/08/2010 10:19 AM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
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Letter to the Editor~by Diane Gray, Calaveras Chamber of Commerce
Dear Editor: The Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce has a long standing tradition of hosting ‘Meet the Candidates’ forums. These meetings are presented to give citizens of the County an opportunity to meet Candidates and understand their positions on the issues that are important to the County. Last night, together with the Copperopolis Area Business Association, the Chamber hosted a Candidates Night in Copperopolis for the Supervisor Candidates in District 5 - Russ Thomas and Darren Spellman. .....
Mr. Spellman announced during his opening statement last night that he had decided not to participate in last night’s forum because he objected to the format that the Chamber utilizes with its Candidates Nights. Mr. Spellman also stated that he believed that the questions were somehow slanted or skewed to favor his opponent.
The format requires that people write their questions on a piece of paper rather than stand and state the question directly. This tried and true procedure was designed simply to streamline the question process and not allow any one person to monopolize the microphone. The Chamber hosted a ‘Meet the Candidates’ night for the Supervisor Candidates in District 5 with the same format last April for the primary election.
As the Executive Director of the Chamber, my job has always been to review the questions before submitting them to the Moderator. The only questions that have ever been removed were due to redundancy, or if the question was of a personal nature. All other questions, whether I thought they were appropriate or intelligent, have been submitted to be asked by the Moderator.
Here are the handwritten questions that were dropped into the basket from people as they arrived:
“What are some problems in our District and how would you see to solve them?”
“Can you give me your work history and what you did in your work?”
“What have you done for Copperopolis activities & local events?”
“How does each candidate feel about the Calaveras Council of Governments?”
There were other questions submitted through a blog on our website, all of them were of a similar nature. These are the typical questions that I have come to expect in my seven years of participating in these Candidates Forums.
The mission of the Chamber of Commerce is to promote the county and its economy by supporting the business community. It is a nearly 100 year old organization that is interested in presenting Candidates to the public and our members for the purpose of understanding their views on business and the local economy.
Sincerely,
Diane Gray, Executive Director
Calaveras County Chamber of Commerce
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