The City of Santa Clara will sponsor three forums for the upcoming November municipal election. The offices being considered are Mayor, Council Seat 2 and Council Seat 5.
The initial candidates forum will be held on Thursday, Sept. 11, with the First Word Forum following on Oct. 9 and the Final Word Forum on Nov. 3. All forums will begin at 7 p.m. in the Santa Clara City Council Chambers, 1500 Warburton Avenue. Parking is free. The forums can also be viewed online at the City’s website (www.santaclaraca.gov) or on City Cable Channel 15.
The candidate forum on Sept.11 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. is co-organized by the League of Women Voters San Jose/Santa Clara and the City of Santa Clara’s Ethics & Values Program. The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for municipal office and is a nonpartisan organization committed to providing voters with unbiased candidate information. The City of Santa Clara’s Ethics & Values Program is a non-partisan, non-political educational program, which supports the City of Santa Clara’s Code of Ethics & Values.
The public is invited to attend and participate in the forums, and may submit topics and questions in advance for potential discussion. The deadline for the Sept. 11 forum is 12 p.m. on Sept. 10. Topics and questions can be submitted in a sealed envelope to the City Clerk’s Office or by email to the City’s Ethics Consultant, Dr. Tom Shanks at drshanks@comcast.net. Names of submitting parties will be kept confidential.
All topics and questions will be considered by the review panel and may be rephrased for comprehensiveness and consistency. Based on the number of topics and questions received, not all may find their way into the two-hour forum. The forum moderator and question review panel are committed to a robust candidate discussion and ensuring that questions model the City’s values of fairness and respect. The City’s Code of Ethics & Values as well as the City’s Behavioral Standards for Public Meetings, can be found at www.santaclaraca.gov.
Information regarding future forums and due-dates for the submittal of questions will be available soon. More information can be found by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at 408-615-2220 or clerk@santaclaraca.gov or Shanks at drshanks@comcast.net. For additional information on the City’s Vote Ethics program, visit www.voteethics.net.
