More Forsyth Political Debates, Forums on Tap in June

Voters in Forsyth County will once again hear from many of the Republican candidates running for the various seats on the local and state level with another series of debates and forums resuming this week. There are quite a few beginning with a “Meet the Candidates” forum for the Board of Commissioners race Tuesday.

The forum, hosted by Smart Growth Forsyth County (SGFC), will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the  event facility located at 513 West Maple Street in Cumming.

SGFC is a volunteer-only based organization made up of a group of citizens concerned with preserving the quality of life within the county, according to its Web site.

Claudia Castro, managing director, told Cumming Patch the following candidates are scheduled to appear:

In District 5, which covers much of east Forsyth, and challenger .

In District 4, which covers a good area of north Forsyth, , and challengers, and will attend.

Castro said challengers Tim Hubbard  will not be there.

In District 2, which covers a portion of south Forsyth, and will attend.

In an effort to learn more about the candidates, SGFC will have a question and answer format with some prepared questions, distributed to the candidates prior to the forum. 

See the PDF document to the right for a list of the questions.

Audience questions will be handled via a free raffle – if you have a winning ticket, you are eligible to ask a question of any of the candidates.

Castro also said SGFC is the only group in the county that invites candidates from all political parties to take part in their forums and be represented, even though there are no Democratic candidates that announced an interest in any of the seats or qualified in the county commission race.

She said Tuesday's event is important for a number of reasons.

"It highlights, showcases and focuses on candidates and their vision for the county," Castro said. "Their going to be making decisions and setting Forsyth on a certain trajectory, and their impact will be felt long after their gone."

"So it's really important that we know where they stand on developmental issues and environmental issues – where they stand on growth."

Castro expects anywhere between 80 and 100 people to attend Tuesday's forum, those numbers are based on the last forum they hosted two years ago she said.

The remainder of the political events this month include the following hosted by the Forsyth County Republican Party. Ethan Underwood, chairman of the party, said the schedule has been modified to facilitate candidates for the uncontested primary elections:

• Monday, June 18 at 6:30 p.m. featuring: Forsyth County School Board candidates, Tax Commissioner, Clerk of Court, District Attorney, Solicitor General and Probate Judge forum

•  Tuesday, June 19, featuring County Commission candidates:
  • 6:30 p.m. - District 5 candidates
  • 7:30 p.m. - District 4 candidates
  • 8:30 p.m. - District 2 candidates

• Wednesday, June 20, featuring Forsyth County Sheriff and Coroner candidates:
  • 6:30 p.m. - Sheriff candidates
  • 7:45 p.m. - Coroner candidates

• Monday, June 25, featuring District Congressional candidates:
  • 6:30 p.m. - 7^th District Congressional candidates
  • 7:30 p.m. - 9th District Congressional candidates

• Wednesday, June 27, featuring State House and Senate candidates:
  • 6:30 p.m. - State House District 24 and 25 forum
  • 7 p.m. - State House District 26 candidates
  • 8 p.m. - State Senate District 27 candidates

Also on Wednesday, June 27, the Sgt. D. P. Land Lodge #82, Fraternal Order of Police will host an open house Town Hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the FOP Lodge located at 248 Castleberry Industrial Drive in Cumming. The FOP is inviting all candidates running for Sheriff, County Commissioner, County Coroner and Chief Magistrate Judge.

Voters head to the polls to cast their ballots for the candidates in the primary July 31.