9-12 Project Issues Details on Candidates Night

Republican and Democratic candidates for state representative will attend a second pre-primary candidates event at Town Hall tonight, with many of the planned topics being similar to those included in a gubernatorial debate last week.

The event is sponsored by the Southern N.H. 9-12 Project. Questions will range from the following topics: taxes, state spending, personal rights, property rights, expanded gambling, the 2nd and 10th Amendments, and Medicare/Medicaid.

With 10 Windham candidates vying for the town's four open positions, seven have confirmed for the evening.

This event will be the second that representative hopefuls have been invited to in two weeks. It will also be the first look for residents at the six Republican candidates, a group that will slim down to four following the Sept. 11 vote.

All of the Republican hopefuls declined to appear at a similar forum on Aug. 21 sponsored by the Windham Women's Club, citing scheduling conflicts in a letter submitted the day before the event.

Only one member of the Democratic party has confirmed, with Carolyn Webber saying that she will attend. Other Democrats running for state representative include Kristi St. Laurent, who is in Charlotte serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention this week. Tony Keevan and Neil Fallon have not yet responded.

Republicans attending include incumbents Mary Griffin, Kevin Waterhouse, Walter Kolodziej, Charles McMahon and Donna Mauro. Mark Samsel is also looking for a seat in Concord and will also attend.

"We are looking forward to a respectful and informative evening while learning where each of the candidates stands," said 9-12 Project Co-founder Ken Eyring. "The event is free and open to the public, and we encourage you to to invite your friends and family to attend as well."

Answers to questions will be kept to one minute, with opening statements and closing statements also included.

The complete schedule for the tonight is listed below:

7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance
 
7:02 p.m. National Anthem – Marissa Yost
 
7:04 p.m. Introduce the Southern NH 9.12 Project
 
7:06 p.m. Candidate Opening Statements (1 minute each). Also reading of letter from St. Laurent.
 
7:14 p.m. Repeating Q&A (Each candidate has 1 minute to answer the same question as their opponents)

8:20 p.m. Candidate Closing Statements (1 minute each)