Sandpoint City Council candidates, area ballot measures to be featured
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Though it’s still a little less than a month from the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election, voters in Bonner County can submit their absentee ballots until 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.
Meanwhile, the Sandpoint Reader, KRFY Panhandle Community Radio and SandpointOnline.com will host a candidates’ forum on Monday, Oct. 20 — just in time for early voting, which begins Oct. 20 and ends Friday, Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 Highway 2, Suite 124, in Sandpoint).
The forum is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. at the community room in the Sandpoint Center (414 Church St.) and will focus on the race for three open seats on the Sandpoint City Council, which has drawn four candidates: incumbent Councilors Joel Aispuro and Rick Howarth, as well as Joshua Torrez (listed on the ballot as Torrez Joshua) and Joe Tate.
Voters attend an candidates’ forum at Sandpoint Community Hall in 2019. Photo by Ben Olson
Those seats carry a term of four years, and are “at large,” meaning there are no specific districts or seats representing those districts. Rather, those who win the most votes across all of Sandpoint’s voting precincts win the seats.
In addition, the cities of Sandpoint and Ponderay have been invited to provide presentations on their respective ballot measures — a $130 million bond for Sandpoint’s wastewater treatment plant reconstruction project, and 1% local option sales tax in Ponderay.
Participating candidates will be given the opportunity to describe their backgrounds and qualifications, and explain their reasons for running. In the case of the ballot measures, city representatives will be invited to make their case and provide details.
Following that portion of the event, the forum will proceed into moderated questions from the audience, directed at both candidates and cities on their ballot measures.
The forum will be broadcast live on the air at 88.5 FM and streaming at krfy.org. A recording of the entire forum will also be made available later at krfy.org.
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