On Tuesday, July 14, 2020, the Chipley, Florida Kiwanis Club featured a political forum between candidates for the offices of Supervisor of Elections, Superintendent of Schools and County Commission District 5.
Corey Odom, the only candidate for Supervisor of Elections to attend, as seen in this video clip from the event, used the 30 minutes available to her to impress the crowd.
In the past, these Kiwanis Club Forums have enjoyed one hundred percent participation, but on Tuesday, Supervisor of Elections candidates Carol Rudd and Chris Hyatt did not participate.
Superintendent of Schools candidates Joe Taylor and Martha Compton, and Washington County Commission District 5 candidates Steve Joyner and Lynn Gothard participated in their respective portions, which will be posted soon.
Scheduled from Noon to 2PM on Tuesday, the debate featured an open forum, moderated by Kiwanis President Tracy Andrews, allowing aspirants for the offices to answer questions posed by the public and the club membership, and the public was encouraged to submit questions they would like addressed.
The forums were taped and will be broadcast on social media, as well as made available to news gatherers, broadcast media and print newspapers for re-broadcast, in order for the public to be able to view the proceedings and ‘virtually’ attend the meetings.
Several local news gatherers, including TV stations, print outlet and online news sources, have indicated their participation in carrying the audio and video portions of the forum.
Tracy Andrews, President of the Chipley, Florida Kiwanis Club, expressed her appreciation for those who did participate, and mentioned that she was quite impressed by what she heard.
On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, candidates for Washington County School Board District 2 Lou Cleveland and Jerry Harrell, Washington County Commissioner District 1 candidates Alan Bush and Travis Hall, and candidates for Washington County Clerk of Court Lora Bell and Stephanie Blankenship will go head-to-head.
The event was held at Pattillo’s Restaurant on the campus of Florida Panhandle Technical College, and although seating was limited and the club intendeds to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines, news agencies were encouraged to attend.
For more information or to submit questions for the candidates, please contact Tracy Andrews, President of Chipley Kiwanis Club, at tlandrews1@gmail.com or call 850-326-9359.
