Forum slated for Monday

NEWS Staff Report

All seven candidates vying in the San Benito City Commissioners’ race and all eight candidates for the San Benito CISD Board of Trustees election have RSVP’d to partake in the upcoming Meet the Candidates Forum slated for Monday, March 27 at La Villita Dancehall in San Benito.

According to San Benito News Publisher, Ray Quiroga, who will be moderating the forum, this is the first time in his recollection since the NEWS has participated in the event that all candidates have acknowledged their participation in the forum. “Although this is a forum and not a debate, it’s still not easy to get up there in front of the media and audience, so I applaud the candidates for stepping up and committing to take part in the forum,” Quiroga, who said the NEWS has been part of the forum since at least the early 2000s, remarked.

Candidates on the May 6, 2023 election ballot were invited to attend the 2023 Meet the Candidates Forum sponsored by The San Benito Chamber of Commerce, the local Chapter of the Texas State Teachers Association/National Education Association (TSTA/NEA) and the San Benito News.

As mentioned, the forum will be held at La Villita Dancehall, 261 W. Robertson St., San Benito, on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. The forum is open — but not limited to — any San Benito candidate (city and school board) on the May 2023 Election Ballot.

Organizers stress that this is a forum, not a debate. Candidates will be provided five minutes to introduce themselves and to discuss their platforms. Candidates are not required to use all of their time.
In the spirit of goodwill, fairness, and positivity, candidates are asked to refrain from directly referencing or otherwise criticizing and attacking their opponents during the forum.

Thereafter, there will be a 15-20 minute intermission, at which point a representative from the Chamber, TASA/NEA and the moderator will vet questions fielded from the audience and the community beforehand in writing. The public will not directly ask questions of or address the candidates. After the intermission, each candidate will be provided with three minutes to answer a vetted question.

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