Sept. 15, 2014. The Boone Area Chamber will host a “Meet the Candidates” forum on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The forum takes place in the large courtroom of the Watauga County Courthouse on King Street in Boone.
National (U.S. House and Senate), state (Governor, N.C. House and N.C. Senate) and local candidates (Watauga County Board of Commissioners and Watauga County Board of Education) have all been invited. Confirmation for all offices hasn’t been confirmed as of press time.
Projected schedule, which is subject to change, is listed below.
- Watauga County Sheriff Q&A at 5 to 5:30 p.m.
- United States Senate and House Q&A at 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.
- North Carolina Senate and House Q&A at 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.
- Watauga County Commission Q&A at 7:30 to 8:15 p.m.
- Watauga County Board of Education Q&A at 8:30 to 9:15 p.m.
The format will be “round-robin” with the same questions asked to all of the candidates. Each will have an opportunity to answer a question first. During the forum, the audience will be allowed to submit written questions, and all questions will be asked by a moderator. Each response has a one-minute limit and candidates will be allowed a two-minute closing statement.
“This forum is not intended to be a debate between candidates or between the audience and the candidates, but rather an opportunity for the citizenry to hear each candidate’s position on topics important to all. In order to maintain decorum, political literature and signage will not be allowed in the room,” a release from the chamber reads.