Union County Chamber of Commerce to host candidate forum May 7

ISABELLA CROWLEY\n, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

LA GRANDE — The Union County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a primary election forum on May 7 for candidates running for county commissioner and circuit court judge.

The forum will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the La Grande High School Auditorium, according to the chamber’s executive director, Caitlin Harrold. The event will also be livestreamed by the Eastern Oregon University Production Department.

“I think candidate forums play a really crucial role in democracy,” Harrold said.

She felt it was important for the chamber to hold a forum because it offers candidates the opportunity to share their opinions, allows voters to make more informed choices and helps foster both transparency and accountability.

The May 7 forum will begin with the candidates running for Union County commissioner Position 3: Kathleen Cathey, Robin Church, Brent Clapp, Merle Comfort, John Coote, Caleb Sampson, Brian Sather, Jake Seavert and Mark Simmons. All are seeking to succeed Donna Beverage who is completing her eighth year as commissioner and cannot run for reelection because of term limits.

The evening will then turn to the candidates seeking election to the 10th Judicial District. Jared Boyd, a Union County defense attorney, is running against incumbent Wes Williams for Position 2. Williams was elected to the circuit court in 2018.

Presiding Judge Thomas Powers will also be present at the forum. Powers is running unopposed for Position 1.

Candidates will receive two minutes for opening and closing statements. Four questions will be posed to the candidates — with separate questions for the commissioner and judicial candidates. Everyone will have one and a half minutes to respond. There will not be the opportunity for rebuttal.

The Observer Publisher Karrine Brogoitti and interim editor Andrew Cutler will be the moderators for the event.

Questions will be sourced from the community. To submit a question for consideration, visit https://forms.office.com/r/vwQtFD0WPV. Questions must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1.

Questions can also be submitted via email to director@visitunioncounty.org or in person at the chamber of commerce office, 207 Depot St., La Grande.