Pair of forums offer chance to judge candidates

HIGH POINT — Voters deciding races for mayor and High Point City Council will get a pair of chances to see and hear from the candidates first-hand during a pair of forums in the next week.

Business High Point-Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum from 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the High Point Theatre at 220 E. Commerce Ave. on the ground level of the International Home Furnishings Center. The High Point YWCA will host its candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 28 at the YWCA at the 155 W. Westwood Ave. 

Both forums are free and open to the public. All 18 candidates running for mayor and the eight seats on council have been invited to attend.

The Business High Point forum will focus on economic topics and concerns of the business community. Anyone who wants to register to attend the forum or submit a question can go to the organization’s website www.bhpchamber.org. 

Business High Point President and CEO Patrick Chapin said that the chamber hopes the forum will inform voters.

“It will help voters still looking for information and who haven’t made up their minds,” Chapin told The High Point Enterprise. 

At the Business High Point forum, candidates will answer questions in panels based on the office they are seeking. The panels will be divided by candidates seeking ward seats, the two at-large council seats and mayor.

The YWCA forum will feature questions to candidates submitted by voters. The YWCA and other partners organizing the forum sought questions from the community, said High Point YWCA Executive Director Heidi Majors.

“It’s to allow community residents to hear from the candidates specifically about their concerns,” she said. 

The format for the YWCA forum will involve separate panels for ward, at-large and mayoral candidates. 

“With time available at the end, the audience will be able to ask questions,” Majors told The Enterprise. 

Early voting for the city election is underway at Washington Terrace Park at 101 Gordon St. for Guilford County residents of the city and Thomasville Public Library at 14 Randolph St. for Davidson County High Point residents. Early voting will continue through Nov. 1 leading up to Election Day is Nov. 5. 

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pjohnson@hpenews.com | 336-888-3528 | @HPEpaul