Staples, Motley city candidate forums set

Candidate forums have been set for people running for city offices in Staples and in Motley in the Nov. 8 general election. 

The sponsor is LEAP (Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy, Positiveness). The Staples Motley Area Chamber of Commerce and the Staples World are co-sponsors.

City of Staples

The forum for Staples city candidates will be Monday, Oct. 24, from 7-8:30 p.m. at NJPA (National Joint Powers Alliance) at 202 12th St. NE, Staples.

Five candidates are vying for four seats on the Staples City Council. Incumbents Doug Case and Mary Theurer are seeking to retain their seats. Other candidates are Brian Fisher, Rachel Johnson and Charles Tester. Mike Isenberg and Kevin Jenkins chose not to run again. 

The three individuals receiving the highest number of votes will serve for terms of four years and the individual receiving the fourth highest number of votes will serve a two year term.

Mayor Chris Etzler is running unopposed. His term is two years.

City of Motley

The forum for Motley city candidates will be Thursday, Oct. 27, from 7-8:30 p.m., at the Motley-Staples Middle School cafeteria. 

Two people are seeking the mayor’s job and three people are seeking two seats on the council.

Amy Hutchison and Al Yoder are running for the two year term as mayor. Both are currently serving as council members. Their terms are up in two years.  The current mayor, Nancy Nieken, chose not to run again.

Nate Douglas, Robert Follis and Steve Johnson are vying for four year terms on the council. Johnson current ly serves on the council. The fourth council member, Pat O’Regan, is not seeking re-election. 

The format

The format for both city candidate forums will be the same.

Questions will be taken from the audience. Members of the committee will collect the questions and organize them for clarity and to avoid duplication. All candidates will have the opportunity to answer questions within a specific timeframe.

Each candidate will have a set amount of time for opening and closing statements. 

The candidates have also been invited to stay for awhile after the formal forum to meet individually with members of the audience. This gives the public an opportunity to further clarify a candidate’s position or to seek responses to concerns not raised during the forum.

LEAP believes that building a strong community requires citizens who are engaged and dedicated. These forums are organized as another opportunity for community members to become informed voters for the Nov. 8 general election.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.