During the 2009 Mayoral election, candidate forums abounded. The Mayoral candidates were on the same stage frequently, sometimes as often as 3 times a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. I myself moderated 13 forums but there were more than 100 held.

And yet, voter turnout was still abysmal. This year, there are far fewer candidate forums and yet many more candidates on the ballot.

We have two new Council districts, an open At-Large seat, two open District seats and most of the incumbents have drawn opponents.

A few neighborhoods are hosting forums for the races in their areas. Tonight I will be moderating one such forum. Several communities in Southwest Houston have come together and invited all At-Large candidates to attend the forum as well as Districts C, J, and K.

Take this opportunity to come out and learn more about these folks who are voluntarily placing their names into consideration for public service and what is for the most part, a completely thankless job.

We’ll discuss interesting topics and primarily rely upon questions from the audience.

More importantly, if you cannot attend this forum, then at least attend an event where you have the opportunity to meet these candidates. They must feel like they are campaigning in the wilderness because that is how I feel when I try to discuss city politics with most people I know.

The League of Women Voters will be publishing their Voter’s Guide again and they and Channel 8 are hosting each of the candidates in for forums. If you can’t attend one in person, look for the listings for the Channel 8 debates.

If you are a reader of this blog, you hopefully have some interest in self-governance. I encourage you to engage at least 5 people this week about the city elections.

Let me know the responses you receive. If you have any questions you would like asked at the forum tonight, please contact me directly.

Click here for Forum details: