Chambers to have Meet the Candidate Town Hall

The Lockhart Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Caldwell County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will have a Meet the Candidate Town Hall for all Caldwell County and Lockhart ISD School Board candidates.

Candidates are invited to participate in the forum on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Gerry Ohlendorf Performing Arts Center at Lockhart High School. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the guests to arrive, and the event will begin at 6 p.m. Between 5:30-6 p.m., candidates can distribute information using the tables provided. The event will be streamed online via Facebook Live for the public to view.

The purpose of this virtual meeting is to give members of the public the opportunity to hear the candidates express their views in a professional, non-partisan setting. The meeting will be moderated by Stephanie Riggins and Lori Rangel. 

The Town Hall will follow the following format: 

* Call to order — to include opening comments, introduction of moderator, and description of format. 

* Presentation by candidates — each candidate will have a specific amount of time, 3 minutes, to introduce themselves and make any opening remarks they may choose. A timekeeper will be present. Time will be strictly enforced. 

* Questions from the public — each candidate will be allotted 1 minute to respond to questions from the public that had been submitted in advance.

All questions will be submitted in advance to be reviewed by a panel. The panel will vet the questions to ensure questions are not directed towards one candidate, are not inflammatory, and are relevant and appropriate. The panel Committee Members are Kim Clifton (Lockhart Chamber), Linda Haden (Lockhart Chamber), Rob Ortiz (Hispanic Chamber), and Kyle McConnell (Sheriff’s Association). 
* Closing presentation by the candidates — each candidate will be allotted 2 minutes to give a closing speech.