Public invited to candidate forum

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
With the hopes of sending the most informed voters possible to the primary election on Aug. 18, Kari Drost, Weston County Republican Party president will hold a
candidate’s forum for all candidates on Aug. 12 at the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center. Before the forum, the party will host a private reception fundraiser to meet and mingle with Republican candidates. 
“The public forum is not going
to be run like a party event. This is going to be a forum that all candidates can attend whether they are Republican, Democrat or unaffiliated. They are all welcome, the more the better,” Drost said. 
According to Drost, the reason she planned the events is to provide an avenue for voters to become as educated as possible on what is important to the candidates. 
“The closer to home the government is, the more important it is to be educated and aware, whether it is the Newcastle City Council, the Weston County commissioners or local state legislators,” Drost said. “They can affect your life more directly. That is why it is important to be involved and informed.”
During the forum, candidates will be have five minutes to introduce themselves and share what is important to them. After that, the public will be allowed to ask questions about what is important to them. 
“I wanted to provide a place to listen to ideas and ask questions. That is why I set these events up, as well as the booth at the Newcastle Farmers’ Market and the meet and greets at the Pizza Barn,” Drost said. 
The private fundraiser will be more casual, Drost said. For $20, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with Republican candidates in a more personal setting. Snacks and drinks will be available. 
The Weston County Democrat Party, on the other hand, has opted to not host any meet and greet events in the county, according to party member Bill Fuller.  
“In deference to health concerns occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than holding an in-person candidate forum, I am hoping that voters will inform themselves of candidates’ qualifications and positions by accessing their websites and posing any questions via the contact information on those sites,” Fuller said. 
Fuller said that he personally hopes that his fellow Democrats have already begun casting their votes for the primary election via the mail-in option. 
“My family took full advantage of that option and found the process to be simplicity itself,” Fuller said. “We are looking forward to repeating the process for the November election, too.”