Nine candidates competing for various City of La Porte offices took to the stage on Thursday, October 26 during a candidate forum ahead of the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 7.
The forum, hosted by La Porte Advancement Partnership (LEAP), gave all speakers an equal opportunity to share their thoughts on various issues throughout the city. Moderated by LEAP Executive Director Bert Cook, each candidate shared an opening statement, answered three questions related to their office of interest, and concluded with closing remarks.
As speakers were able to touch on topics that mattered to them most, city residents were able to really get to know the people they’ll soon be voting to represent them in office. Listeners had the unique opportunity to learn more about the candidates, including the values they hold near and dear to their hearts and how they plan to go about improving them, but also in a personal sense as well. A meet and greet directly followed the presentations and allowed audience members to talk with candidates one-on-one, a fun approach many appreciated.
“We look for opportunities. Voter turnout in our county, our state, and the country is incredibly low,” said Cook. “Oftentimes, we hear that voters know very little about the candidates they're ultimately voting for, so we look for opportunities like this to bring candidates together to share their ideas and their platforms, and allow the public and our business community to hear directly from them on those issues that are most important. I think it gives our candidates an opportunity to share their message, but it also gives our community an opportunity to hear directly from the people they'll vote for in less than two weeks.”
Additionally, the event was held in the La Porte High School auditorium, making it a great venue for those near and far to hear what the upcoming political candidates had to say.
“Forums like this don't exist elsewhere; we're one of the only ones that run events like this,” Cook said. “It capitalizes on a great venue. The acoustics are great. The candidates also have the opportunity to be here in front of us. We have the opportunity to broadcast this and live stream it so those who can't be here in attendance can have the information as well.”
LEAP has hosted this event for the better part of 20 years. The organization has always enjoyed hosting the candidate forum as it shows a different side of the political world. It allows everyone to share their thoughts in a calm and collected manner that’s informative to the viewers and provides the perfect environment for networking and building upon important relationships within the city.
“Many of these people are going to work together with each other, and we're going to potentially work with them if they get elected,” Cook said. “To have the opportunity to start and build relationships and talk about issues that are very important to our community and to these candidates is a great start. I think what you'll see throughout the event is what politics should look like. People are communicating what's great about them and why people should vote for them as opposed to going negative and talking about the negative aspects.”
The candidates also greatly enjoy having the opportunity to speak at this forum. For La Porte City Council at Large Candidate Lauren Huffman, it’s a chance to become better connected to those around her, including those whom she may not typically see or interact with on a day-to-day basis.
“I enjoy getting to put faces to names,” she said. “I don't necessarily get to meet people from other parties or department heads within the city. Coming to events like these gives me the opportunity to meet people, put faces to names, and get myself out there as well.”
Other speakers liked coming to the forum as a way to help inform La Porte residents about important events they should be aware of in the area.
“I'm glad that I get to be on a public forum and discuss issues that are important to residents and businesses right now,” said City of La Porte Clerk-Treasurer Courtney Parthun. “I'm glad that there's a forum for me to steer information in the right direction.”
The forum also provided an opportunity for them to get to know some of the people they could be serving in years to come.
“I’m hoping that citizens tune in and listen to what folks have to say and what their main purpose is. There's going to be a learning curve no matter what. I just think it's important for citizens to learn about the people that want to represent them,” said La Porte City Council at-Large Candidate Susan Antoszewski.
The forum couldn’t have seen such great success without LEAP’s help. The organization works hard to bring events such as this to the public, and everyone is especially grateful for all LEAP has done to make this happen year after year.
“LEAP contributes to the success of the City of La Porte,” said Parthun. “They are a huge advocate for us, coming from a standpoint of legislation at the state and working with many of our state reps and senators. They do it all. They work with businesses, they help connect us to residents and businesses in the city of La Porte and what our constituents are actually wanting to see and set a record. LEAP is wonderful.”
For more information about the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, visit its website at laportepartnership.com.
