Opportunities to meet the candidates

If you want to meet the people running for office this fall, there are opportunities open to the public to do just that.

Ones that I have been invited to, and will be attending are:

Oct. 4: Bartholomew County Democratic Party Fall Dinner, 6:30 p.m., at the Donner Center, 739 22nd St., Columbus. If you haven’t heard Destiny Wells speak in person, then you are in for a treat! Destiny is a former candidate for Indiana Secretary of State and a U.S. Army Reservist. She graduated from Martinsville High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 2006 and her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2011.

Our candidates will be on hand to discuss their campaigns, the issues, and chat. Several of us are bringing baskets full of goodies to raffle off for a campaign fundraiser. My basket, which is really a gift bag, contains signed copies both of both of my nonfiction books, Wicked Columbus, Indiana, and Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher, plus signed copies of two of my wife’s children’s books: The Cleo and Roger Discover Columbus, Indiana, books, one on art, one on architecture.We might throw a few other things in there for good measure.

Tickets are $20. For additional info and to purchase your ticket, click here.

Oct. 9: Put People First: Columbus Town Hall, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2651 California St. Registration is highly recommended, and a link is available here.

The event will be hosted by the Bartholomew County chapter of Hoosier Action, which is a community organization based in southern Indiana with members across the state. Its mission is to ensure that all Hoosiers “have a say in the decisions which affect their lives.”

The town hall will focus on three key local issues: housing, addiction, and government transparency, three of the top issues residents are concerned about here, according to surveys done by Hoosier Action.

Stephanie Zhang, Bartholomew County community organizer with the group, said that their goal for the event is to provide an opportunity for people to come together and discuss local issues with candidates.

The format of the event will be “some variation of community building, sharing experiences and pre-prepared questions based on the top issues that we’ve heard and an opportunity for attendees to submit questions as well,” said Stephanie Zhang, Bartholomew County community organizer with the group, told The Republic for a story that was posted today.

There will also be an opportunity for attendees to register to vote, as the deadline to do so is Oct. 10.

Oct. 16: The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, The League of Women Voters, Brown County/Bartholomew County and First Presbyterian Church of Columbus are co-sponsoring a Meet and Greet for all Columbus municipal candidates.  The event is billed as “an opportunity for conversations and building relationships with voters and constituents.”

The event will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Interfaith campus, UUCCI, 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus.

The agenda is as follows:

5:30-6 pm: Welcome and Candidate self-introductions (limit 1 minute each)

6-6:50 pm: Meet and Greet – attendees rotate to candidates at designated tables

6:50-7: Thank yous and closing

Oct. 16: Columbus Rotary Club had some candidates in at its Oct. 2 meeting, and the rest of us will be at its Oct. 16 meeting at Hotel Indigo, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. At-large, Districts 5, 6 have been invited to this one. If you wish to attend, and you are not a candidate participating in the forum, the cost is $15.

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I hope you can make one or more of these events!