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COLUMBUS — A panel of several contenders for state-level and local elections answered questions at the Columbus Hall on Jan. 17 as they addressed a wide array of topics for their constituents.
Along with the candidates for local positions, U.S. Congress candidate Jared Lovelace and State Representative candidate Tim Greeson were also featured as part of the panel. Tonya McLaughlin also attended as she vies for the Justice seat in the 14th Court of Appeals.
Each of the state level candidates discussed several topics relating to state law. They discussed their positions on border policies, the recent saga with Attorney General Ken Paxton, education and teacher funding, population growth in rural areas and maintaining second amendment rights in the state.
A few local candidates discussed some of the initiatives they want to focus on should they be selected for the position. In general, the first part of the panel was intended to be an introduction to the candidates for the collection of residents gathered at the venue.
Many of the unopposed candidates were also in attendance as County Attorney Jay Johannes, Precinct 1 Constable Richard LaCourse and Precinct 3 Constable Ivan Menke each introduced themselves to their constituents and vowed to continue their service for the county and local municipalities.
The candidates for contested races like the Sheriff, Precinct 1 County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3 answered questions specific to their position as residents looked to discover more information on their potential officials.
Republican Party Chair Tim Kelly led the proceedings and gave an opportunity for each candidate to introduce themselves to the potential voters in the crowd. The candidates will have one more opportunity for a town hall prior to the primary elections in March.
The Citizen will also run a voter’s guide for residents to have an overview of the candidates prior to the election. The Citizen staff will be reaching out to candidates running in a contested election to create the guide, but feel free to reach out to Trenton Whiting at [email protected] for more information on the voter’s guide and deadline to submit information.
