As local city council and school board elections draw near, the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce and the Taylor Press are joining forces to provide candidates a chance to campaign in an organized manner.
Residents will have an opportunity to hear from election hopefuls during the local candidate forum at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.
“We believe voters need to have a strong connection to their local leaders because they have an enormous impact on the resident’s daily lives,” Chamber President Tia Stone said. “There is no greater influence on your life than the government that is closest to you.”
Interested people have the choice to see in person at the Taylor Independent School District Event Center at 3101 N. Main St. or watch it live on the Taylor Press Facebook Page.
“[The candidate forum] is important because these are the people who will be leading the city and school board,” said Jason Hennington, area editor of the Taylor Press. “Our job as a newspaper is to provide information, what better way to do that than hosting this forum. It has done well for many years, and it puts the candidates in front of their constituents.”
This year, the community has contested races for the City Council and the Taylor ISD board of trustees.
Anita Volek and Marilyn Tennill currently hold the seats that are up for the school board election.
Todd Gratehouse and Tennill will go against each other for the “At-Large” seat. Volek will run for re-election unopposed for Place 2.
Seats for the general election for Taylor City Council are District 2, currently held by Mitch Drummond, and District 3, currently held by Mayor Brandt Rydell. Rydell previously announced that he is not seeking re-election.
Drummond, Shelli Cobb, Terry Burris and Sandra Wolff have filed for the District 2 seat so far.
Kelly Cmerek and Nathan Walker are on the ballot for the District 3 seat, but Walker announced previously he does not want to be considered.
So far, Stone said every District 2 candidate has agreed to attend. Stone said Cmerek and every trustee candidate are also invited.
The Taylor Press and Chamber will have some questions of their own but are also interested in hearing suggested questions from the public.
Questions are welcome with the subject line “Question for Candidate” sent to [email protected] prior to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 16. Questions will not be accepted during the event.
