Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — The first Jefferson County candidate forum of the 2015 election season will take place Wednesday and will feature three Port Townsend City Council candidates.
The forum will begin at 7 p.m. at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St.
Appearing at the forum will be Position 6 candidates Paul Rice, Amy Smith and Todd Wexman, one of whom will be eliminated in the Aug. 4 primary.
The forum is sponsored by the Jefferson County League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, the Port Townsend/Jefferson County Leader and Port Townsend Television.
The moderator will be Ruth Gordon, Jefferson County Superior Court clerk.
The two top vote-getters will face off in the Nov. 3 general election and assume the seat now held by Mayor David King, who declined to seek a third term.
King’s successor as mayor will be chosen by the council from their ranks when it convenes, with two new members, Jan. 4.
Current council members Deborah Stinson and Robert Gray are unopposed in their bids for second terms and will be elected by acclamation.
Stinson and Gray, along with Position 7 candidates David Faber and Travis Keena, are invited to Wednesday’s forum but will not address the audience.
September and October forums are planned for the other positions on the City Council and for other non-partisan positions on the Jefferson Healthcare and Port of Port Townsend commissions and on school boards.
All forums include formal statements, question-and-answer sessions, and opportunities for the candidates to meet the public informally.
“It makes a difference if you can meet candidates rather than just reading about them in the paper,” said Jackie Aase, a member of the League of Women Voters.
“You can learn a lot more about them from a one-to-one conversation.”
For more information, call Aase at 360-385-6027.