League of Women Voters to Host Rochester Hills Candidate Forums Tonight

Candidates for Rochester Hills City Council and mayor square off tonight in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters Oakland Area at .

Only one mayoral candidate will not be attending tonight, as far as League of Women Voters Coordinator Ann Edwards knew.  All City Council candidates were expected to attend.

The first of the two forums begins at 7 p.m. and includes a 90-minute question-and-answer session for Rochester Hills City Council candidates vying for council at-large and District 2 council seats. A one-hour session with four mayoral candidates will follow at 8:30 p.m.

Who will be there

In Rochester Hills, there are two at-large council seats up for election; the top four candidates from the Aug. 2 primary will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Candidates for council member at-large are:

• Michael Webber (incumbent)
• Mark Tisdel
• Dee Hilbert
• Peter Adair
• Kathleen Fitzgerald
• Howard Elandt

The District 2 seat is held by Martin Brennan, who is not seeking re-election. The top two candidates from the August primary will be on the November ballot.

Candidates for the District 2 seat are:

• Laurie Puscas
• Jordan Kotubey
• Adam Kochenderfer

Incumbent Mayor Bryan Barnett will face Erik Ambrozaitis and Paul Miller at 8:30 p.m.; mayoral candidate and 18-year-old recent high school graduate Luke Wylie will not be attending, Edwards said, because he will be busy with an online math class.

The top two mayoral candidates in the Aug. 2 primary will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.

What to expect

Audience members will be able to ask questions of any candidate regarding any issue they choose, Edwards said. The event is open for anyone who wishes to come, and Edwards said she expects there should be enough time for anyone who wishes to ask a question to do so, even though she expects the seats in the auditorium to be filled.

"No one is ever dissatisfied," she said, adding that often times, candidates will stay after to speak with residents in case their questions have not been answered.

"When they are done, they feel they know enough about the candidates," she said.

Edwards has been helping out with forums like these for the League of Women Voters for about 25 years. She said she can assure potential attendees that nearly every subject and issue will be covered, though she said she expects  will be a prominent issue this evening.

Edwards described herself as politically active and hopes the event will help others reach an informed decision.

"I wouldn't want to vote for someone who I haven't seen or spoken to," she said. "That is what we do – host a forum so you can be an informed voter."

The League of Women Voters is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that encourages political activity among citizens, according to the organization's website.

For a list of candidates, including brief biographies and issue statements, please see the attached file.