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Fairfield Chamber to host candidate forum Oct. 15
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – Voters will get to hear from candidates vying for the contested mayoral race and one contested race for Fairfield City Council, plus information about the school district’s bond referendum for a new middle school.
The Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “Meet the Candidates Forum” on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. with a meet and greet with the candidates before the program officially begins at 5:30 p.m.
The first race featured will be Fairfield’s mayoral race from 5:45-6:45 p.m. Three candidates have thrown their hat in the ring for this post: incumbent Mayor Connie Boyer, first elected in 2019; Doug Flournoy, a current member of the Fairfield City Council; and Rhonda Sanderson. Mayoral terms are two years.
From 6:45-7:15 p.m., Fairfield Superintendent Zach Wigle will speak about the district’s effort to pass a $39.5 million general obligation bond to build a new middle school for students in grades 5-8. District officials have spoken about the need to build a new middle school due to the high cost of maintaining the current building, which suffers from perpetual water infiltration.
From 7:15-8:15 p.m., the two candidates vying for Fairfield’s Ward 2 seat will take the spotlight. This includes incumbent Paul Gandy and challenger Matthew W. Johnson. Ward 2 contains most of the town north of the railroad tracks, except the western-most portion.
This event is being sponsored by Freeman Kevenides Law Firm. In a news release about the forum, the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce noted that this is not a “debate or public Q and A.”
“It’s a time for dialogue around issues relevant to our Chamber members,” read the release.
Only the contested races in the city are being featured at this forum. Bob Ferguson is running unopposed for Flournoy’s at-large seat, and incumbent Ward 4 representative Matthew Rowe is also running unopposed.
The Fairfield Community School Board has three open seats and three names on the ballot. Mark Porter is running for re-election, and Cody Freeman and Terry Wells are also seeking a seat. Current board members Tai Ward and Deborah Williamson are not seeking re-election.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
