CivicLex holds Council-at-Large forum

With election day knocking on the door, Lexington is getting ready for midterms elections on Tuesday, November, 8th. The slate will see Lexington voters cast ballots for a US senator and congressman, Mayor, At-Large Council reps, District Judges, and even Qmendment questions. This is an important election with many Lextonians voting for their future and candidates will continue to work hard until election day is upon us.

On Thursday, local Lexington company, Civiclex held a local Council-at-Large forum featuring the six candidates running for City Council. This was their second forum and ice cream social for at-large members. The names included James Brown, Richard Moloney, Chuck Ellinger II, Bill Farmer Jr., Lillie Miller-Johnson, and Dan Wu. All of these candidates showed up to answer questions about various topics that were picked by the staff of Civiclex. Each candidate had their own space and had twenty minutes to answer questions from citizens about a certain topic during the designated time. Each candidate was joined by a moderator and an assistant moderator. The moderators were used so no audience member was disruptive or steer the conversation to another subject. The moderators would each rotate after every twenty minutes and would start the sessions with opening questions to the audience to ask candidates questions.

The topics in the forum included Arts & culture, Immigration, Community Design, Development & Housing, Agriculture & Food Systems, Energy & Environment, Economic Development & Education, General Government & Transportation, and Public Health & Safety. Each individual topic would stick to a certain facilitator throughout the forum. Many audience members would jump around from room to room to hear what a candidate had to say about a certain topic.

This is not your typical forum. Instead of the candidates on stage each having one minute or less to speak about a certain topic, this event lets audience members directly engage and interact in a small group conversation. It gives time for candidates to interact with audience members and gives audience members the opportunity to get to know their candidates and who they are voting for in the upcoming election. Councilmember, James Brown, comments on the importance of events like these.

“Events like these are good for the community and give folks the opportunity to hear from candidates”

Councilmember James Brown and Richard Monolney both went on to discuss the importance of this race and how this event gives a better understanding of each candidate. Moloney was happy to discuss the wonderful turnout and as well as the importance of talking to citizens in an environment like this one.

Richard Moloney states the importance of events like these, “This event is more hands-on compared to other forums I have been a part of where you only get one minute. There are a lot of important issues to talk about, and I am glad we have more time to talk about them.”

“With this race where the field is so large and there are a lot of issues to talk about and where you can get a better understanding of the candidates is so important.” Councilmember Brown stated.

Even with Civiclex hosting what many called a “unique” event, it still brought to light many important issues. Audience members and candidates dove right into asking and answering questions while getting a better understanding of each other. With major federal candidates going against each other, local elections are just as or more important than senate or congressional races during midterm elections. Richard Young, Executive Director of Civiclex discussed the importance of the Council-at-Large race.

“This race is so important to the city of Lexington. It’s the only council race in that Councilmembers have two (four-year) terms, but the most important piece is the top vote-getter becomes vice mayor. As vice-mayor, you set a lot of priorities not just for the council but also for the city.”

This event helps share the candidate’s opinions on certain issues. This also gives the opportunity for voters to see their candidates in a broader atmosphere with more time to ask questions. Events similar to this are held a few times a month by Civiclex. They have been working to make sure it is bipartisan in these forums and everyone gets an opportunity to meet your local candidates. It is so important to meet who you’re voting for, especially in your local elections.

For more information on how to vote in your local elections please go to lexingtonky.gov/vote. This website will give you information on voter registration status, finding your polling location, qualifying IDs, and even a sample ballot that you can look over. The website has everything you need to have a better understanding of the midterms. For more information on Civiclex, please go to civiclex.org. The website contains information about upcoming events that are organized by Civiclex. This website also contains valuable information about elections and ways to serve your community around Lexington.