Decision time

With Nov. 5 now less than three weeks away, voters have little time to gather information on races to be decided in a General Election that is drawing interest on several fronts.
Three of those races involve the Aurora City Council, where an unprecedented four write-in candidates (with one of them being one of the three incumbents), as well as two other incumbents, are seeking three open seats for four-year terms on the city council. A great deal of interest was stirred in this race after the recent budget discussions, with three of the four write-in candidates tossing their hats into the ring after two rather emotional public hearings. It’s been a hot topic of conversation in Aurora, to be sure.
In an effort to help voters get to know the candidates, the News-Register published detailed profile articles in last week’s edition, where each was asked to share their background, reasons for running, perceived city priorities and goals if elected to the council. That was excellent information, providing side-by-side comparisons of those seeking office. If you missed last week’s edition, by the way, copies are still available at the News-Register and the paywall has been removed from an article posted on ANR’s website at auroarnewsregister.com.
What was missing from that printed format, however, was a chance for voters to see and hear these candidates express their views. That’s what prompted a late decision by the News-Register to host a candidate forum Thursday, which will begin at 7 p.m. at the Bremer Center.
Deryl Hilligas will serve as emcee for the event, which will begin with two-minute introductions from each candidate. Hilligas will then ask a series of eight questions, rotating the order of responses each time. No questions will be taken from the audience, though questions were sought from the public in advance and will be reflected in the Q&A forum.
After reading last week’s profiles, it’s clear that citizens have some outstanding candidates to choose from. We invite you to join us Thursday at the Bremer Center, or listen in via Facebook Live, to make an informed decision.
-- Kurt Johnson