ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996 TAG: 9604090063
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
Residents will get a chance to quiz candidates for Town Council at 7:30 tonight at a candidates' forum in Courtroom B in the Montgomery County Courthouse.
The two-hour forum is sponsored by the Montgomery County League of Women Voters. The league invited all eight candidates for council in next month's election, and all said they would be there, said Bev Fleming, a league organizer.
The candidates each will get a chance to make short opening and closing statements. In between, they will respond to written questions from the audience.
The questions will be collected and screened by a moderator for appropriateness and relevancy, and candidates will have one minute to respond. They will be given three minutes for an opening statement and two minutes for a closing statement.
Fleming said the league is sponsoring the forum because "part of our thrust is to inform people on the issues." The election will be held May 7.
The slate of eight candidates running for three seats is the largest anyone has seen in Christiansburg in recent years. With longtime Councilman Truman Daniel's retirement, at least one new face is guaranteed on the council.
Running are incumbents Wayne Booth and Scott Weaver, and challengers Bob Abraham, Richard Ballengee, Rocco Capozzi, Bob Hockett, Jay Newman and Paul Poff.
A candidate's forum April 18 for candidates in Blacksburg's Town Council elections will follow the same format, though the candidates will be given more time to speak because there are only four running for three seats. Blacksburg's forum will be at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal building.
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