The Haines Chamber of Commerce will present a Haines Borough Assembly and mayoral candidate forum noon Friday, Sept. 23, at the public library.
“This is an opportunity for the public to see all the candidates, hopefully, side by side and responding to similar inquiries,” said Ned Rozbicki, chamber president.
Rozbicki will moderate the event and said chamber board members will help determine the format.
“The way we talked about it is having some assembled questions that come from the chamber and then also accepting some audience questions,” he said.
Chamber manager Joan Carlson said assembly candidates John Brower, Jerry Erny, Karen Hess, Jerry Lapp, Debra Schnabel and Norm Smith, and mayoral candidates Jan Hill and Stephanie Scott were invited to the forum, which is open to the public.
Carlson said hors d’oeuvres likely will be served, and guests are welcome to bring their own lunch.
Rozbicki said the chamber might use multiple question formats to challenge the candidates.
“I’ve considered creating a format where they’ve got one minute to respond, but I might have them respond in writing, and that way it’s not just an echo chamber,” he said.
KHNS is planning a candidate forum at the Chilkat Center on Monday evening, Sept. 26.