Holly Springs will have a candidate forum at 7 p.m. tonight at the Town Hall, 128 S. Main St.

RALEIGH, N.C. — All active candidates for Wake County School board will meet in a forum at 7 p.m. today at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2723 Clark Ave.

The Forum is sponsored by the following community organizations: The League of Women Voters of Wake County, the Junior League of Raleigh, the YWCA of the Greater Triangle, the Wake County PTA Council, and El Pueblo.

The Wake County Board of Education Candidates’ Forum will provide an opportunity for each candidate to address issues central to their campaign in their opening and closing statements.  Each candidate will be asked to respond to questions prepared by the sponsoring organizations.  Questions will cover a range of issues including:  policy, funding & budget, parental involvement, health & physical education and curriculum.

by Chris Cowperthwaite
NBC17

CARY, N.C. – The Town of Cary is offering one-stop shopping for anyone trying to figure out who to vote for.

The Oct. 6 Election Day for municipal and school board elections is less than a month away.

All day Tuesday, candidates filed into Cary town council chambers to tape their segment of a candidates forum.

“Over the years, we’ve found that more and more Cary citizens who vote rely on this forum to get that information that they’re interested in because it’s their questions that are being asked,” said town spokesperson Susan Moran.

The North Carolina Center for Voter Education moderates the forum.

This year, many common themes for Cary were front and center including education, transit and attracting small business.

“We can’t do it by picking up the phone and calling them, we can’t do it by sending a brief little note or something like that, we have to look them in the eye,” said Terry Thorne, who’s running for Town Council District A.  “We have to give them specific advantages of living, of doing business in Cary.”

Of course, growth issues are always huge in any Cary election, too.

“I feel like we’ve lost our way.  We’ve forgotten what Cary’s supposed to look like,” said Cynthia Sinkez, another candidate for District A.  “I don’t think that we’re following the formula that most residents want, and I do think we can get back to it.”

Some candidates weren’t pulling punches, either, when talking about the incumbent, in District A’s case, that is Jennifer Robinson.

“Somewhere along the way, she got off track and began to side more with the interests of developers than with her own District A constituents,” said District A candidate Lori Bush.  “And during Mayor McAllister’s administration, she voted with the pro-developer policies 94% of the time.”

“She is misrepresenting my work on the council, and everybody should be aware of that,” countered Robinson.  “Every time a development has come to the Town of Cary in District A I have sat with the applicant, I have worked with the applicant to make sure it is the best project.  I listen to the constituents, I find out what their concerns are.”

Cary will start airing the forum in its entirety on Friday on the town’s government access channel TV 11.

For those who want to watch specific parts of the forum, or focus on one race in particular, the town will have the entire thing broken up into sections that you can stream on its website.

CARY, NC – Candidates for Cary Town Council will meet today in a forum filled with questions submitted by voters during the Lazy Daze festival.

The forum begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Cary Town Council Chambers, and will include candidates for one At-Large seat and districts A and C.  Wake County School Board seats that represent Cary will also be included:  districts 2, 7 and 9.

More About the Forum

The forum will be recorded and played throughout Western Wake County daily on the Town’s government access channel-Cary TV 11-and available on the Town’s web site September 18 until Election Day.

Residents also submitted questions via YouTube for consideration.  Sponsored by the Town of Cary and featuring only questions submitted by Cary citizens, this year’s forum is being managed on behalf of the Town by the NC Center for Voter Education (NCCVE).

The Town of Cary is paying the NCCVE $2,500 to serve as this year’s forum manager.

RALEIGH, N.C. –  The Cumberland County NC State Legislative Delegation will travel to six locations in Cumberland County to discuss the recently completed long session of the North Carolina General Assembly.

“Legislative Year in Review,” is a series of neighborhood forums to talk about what really happened in Raleigh this session and how it will affect everyone over the next year.

Legislators scheduled to appear for the forums are: Sen. Tony Rand (D-Bladen/Cumberland), Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland); Rep. Margaret Dickson (D-Cumberland), Rep. Marvin Lucas (D-Cumberland), Rep. Elmer Floyd (D-Cumberland), Rep. William Brisson (D-Bladen/Cumberland).

The schedule for “Legislative Year in Review” is as follows:

Tuesday, September 8

10:00-11:30 am Eastover Community Center (4008 School St., Eastover)
1:00-2:30 pm                 John D. Fuller Recreation Center (6627 Old Bunce Rd., Fayetteville)

5:30-7:00 pm                 Terry Sanford High School (2301 Ft. Bragg Rd, Fayetteville)

Wednesday, September 9

10:00-11:30 am              Simon Temple AME Zion Church (5760 Yadkin Rd., Fayetteville)
1:00-2:30 pm                 Grays Creek Recreation Center (2964 School Rd. Fayetteville)

5:30-7:00 pm                 South View High School (4184 Elk Rd., Hope Mills)

“Legislative Year in Review” forums are free and open to the public.

Sen. Tony Rand represents District 19, Rep. Rick Glazier represents District 45,

Rep. Margaret Dickson represents District 44, Rep. Marvin Luca represents District 42,

Rep. Elmer Floyd represents District 43, and Rep. William Brisson represents District 22.

CARY, N.C. – Make plans now to play an active role in the 2009 Cary Community Candidate Forum, the first and only forum for candidates for local office sponsored by a Triangle local government, and the only forum for local offices to be cablecast on Cary TV 11.

New this year, citizens will be able to post video submissions on YouTube for consideration, as well as record questions in person at Cary’s Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Sponsored by the Town of Cary and featuring only questions submitted by Cary citizens, this year’s forum is being managed on behalf of the Town by the NC Center for Voter Education (NCCVE).

“The NC Center for Voter Education brought tremendous professionalism and expertise to the 2007 forum, and we appreciate their willingness to serve Cary citizens again this year,” said Town of Cary Public Information Officer Susan Moran.

The North Carolina Center for Voter Education is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to informing and involving citizens so they may fully participate in democracy. The Center has hosted and moderated a number of forums giving candidates an opportunity to debate issues in a constructive format, including a series of forums airing statewide on UNC-TV in 2006 and 2008.

The Center is a leading resource for unbiased candidate information, using its voter guides, online radio station, media partnerships and statewide syndicated column to give candidates from all political persuasions the opportunity to communicate directly with voters.

“Our research shows that the primary reason why qualified voters don’t go to the polls on Election Day is because they lack information on the candidates,” said Damon Circosta, NCCVE executive director.  “We are very pleased to take part in the Town of Cary’s effort to empower its citizens with the facts they need to cast a confident ballot.”

This year’s forum, which will be held on Sept. 15 in the Cary Town Council Chambers, will include candidates for one At-Large seat and districts A and C.  Wake County School Board seats that represent Cary will also be included:  districts 2, 7 and 9.  The forum will be recorded and played throughout Western Wake County daily on the Town’s government access channel—Cary TV 11—and available on the Town’s web site Sept. 18 until Election Day.

Questions asked of candidates may be submitted by Cary citizens beginning July 20, 2009; questions and links to video submissions should be e-mailed to cary@ncvotered.com. The forum manager will review, select, and read the questions to candidates for the first time during the forum.  The Town of Cary is paying the NCCVE $2,500 to serve as this year’s forum manager.

The idea of the Town’s hosting a forum dates back to the fall of 2001 when a record number of candidate forums sponsored by special interest groups were cablecast on the Town’s government access channel, Cary TV 11.  Complaints about that situation led the Town Council to ask staff to develop alternatives.  After nine months of research, which included meetings with past forum sponsors, staff recommended in August of 2002 the concept of one large  “mega forum” – now known as the Cary Community Candidate Forum.  Benefits of this approach include:

• Allowing for increased community focus and involvement
• Eliminating the issue of candidate endorsements
• Providing a better product for viewers
• Reducing the amount of time candidates and Town staff spend in forums
• Reducing the amount of politics and bias potentially brought to the forums by outside sponsors

The first Cary Community Forums were held in the fall of 2003, followed by subsequent ones in 2005 and 2007.  For more, visit Cary Community Candidate Forum.

GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina citizens struggling with health care decisions are expressing their frustrations to Gov. Beverly Perdue and the Obama administration.

Several hundred people attended a regional health care reform meeting on Tuesday at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Frank Amend of Rocky Mount said his insurance costs went through the roof after he lost his job just before undergoing heart bypass surgery. And Charlotte newspaper publisher Gerald Johnson said he must decide whether to cut health insurance or lay people off after premiums rose 24 percent last year.

White House health reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle said issues raised at the meeting are similar to those heard at other regional events.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-N.C.) will participate in two events in North Carolina on Monday.

On Monday morning, Senator Hagan will be in Raleigh at NC State’s Institute for Emerging Issues Forum. This year’s theme is “Changing Landscapes: Building the Good Growth State?” Senator Hagan will introduce her colleague, U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who will speak to the importance of repairing our nation’s infrastructure.

On Monday afternoon, Senator Hagan is scheduled to attend the “Congressional Community Conversation” at the Tony Rand Student Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College.  The general public is invited to attend this free, informal event that will feature several local Congressmen, as well as Senator Hagan, talking about Congress’ recent activity and important issues to the Fayetteville community. 

As the Senate is currently considering the Economic Recovery Package, it is possible that Senator Hagan will have to return to Washington before both events on Monday. Further information will follow from her office if this is the case. 

MONDAY
What: Senator Hagan speaks at the Institute for Emerging Issues Forum
Where: Raleigh Convention Center, 500 South Salisbury Street, Raleigh
When: 8:00 a.m., Monday, February 9

What: Senator Hagan speaks at the “Congressional Community Conversation”
Where: Tony Rand Student Center, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville
When: 4:30 p.m., Monday, February 9

247 Townhall, a group that labels itself as a “forum dedicated to change,” has posted this video featuring people explaining what they were do if elected President.