Local candidates forum is Monday

    The Washington Chamber of Commerce will put on a candidates forum Monday evening at the United Presbyterian Church. The event is split into four separate forums for each of the four, featured races. It begins at 6 p.m. and is expected to last three hours.

    The first forum of the evening will be for the Iowa Senate District 45 seat held by Democrat Becky Schmitz. Schmitz will be joined by Republican challenger Sandy Greiner, and Douglas Philips of the Iowa Party.

    The second forum will be the race for the Iowa House District 89 held by Democrat Larry Marek. Marek will square off against Jarad Klein, a Republican, and David Smithers of the Green Party.

    The final two forums are for county offices. The third forum, like the first two, will feature three candidates, and it is for the Washington County Supervisors District 5 seat. Jim Rosien, the incumbent, is running as an independent against Republican Ron Bennett and Democrat Richard Gilmore.

    The county attorney?s race is the focus of the fourth and final forum. Democrat Barbara Edmondson is the incumbent, and will go up against Republican Larry Brock.

    The other county supervisors? race ? between Republican Steve Davis and Democrat Rodney Stogdill for District 3 ? will not be included in Monday?s proceedings. Ed Raber, the volunteer chair of the governmental relations committee on the chamber, said there is not enough time for five separate forums in one evening. Each forum will last 45 minutes and there will be a short intermission between them. 

For more, see our Oct. 13 print edition.