Traditionally, the Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce would organize a candidate forum with a moderator directing the event. They’ve been doing this since around 2006, and report that they typically have 99-100% attendance at the forums they organize. They started the work on this one back in June…but just like the past twenty months have been out of the ordinary for this town, so shall this forum. The Chamber is telling members that the district is scheduling a competing forum for the same date and time as the Chamber’s forum. An additional (third) candidate forum has been scheduled by a local church with connections to Charis! So it’s shaking up to be a messy forum situation for a messy campaign season for a messy school board situation. Naturally.
Details are still sparse, but with lots of rumors floating around, I thought I’d summarize what we know about the forums:
October 2nd, Victory Life Community Impact Team (associated with Victory Life church) candidate forum. 6PM, High School auditorium. The moderator is state Senator Mark Baisley, who recently had a guest column published in the Courier praising the current board, and teaches the Practical Government class at Charis. Duane Sheriff is the founder of Victory Life church and a member of the Andrew Wommack Ministries Board of Directors.
October 9th, WP Chamber of Commerce candidate forum. 5:30-7:30PM, Ute Pass Cultural Center. I have not seen any announcement about who the moderator is, though there are rumors floating around social media.
October 9th, WPSD candidate forum. There is no public information for this one, though the WP Chamber of Commerce sent this email to members regarding that event…this is all the information we’ve found about this alternate event:
As President of the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce, it’s impossible not to reflect on the remarkable journey we’ve undertaken together. From the depths of the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 to the unexpected turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, our community has demonstrated remarkable fortitude and adaptability.
At the heart of our Chamber mission lies a simple yet profound commitment: to advocate for businesses. We understand that businesses flourish when they can operate in an environment conducive to earning profits through the provision of goods and services. To uphold this commitment, we vigilantly monitor local, state, and federal legislation, taking clear and informed positions in support of, or opposition to, legislation that impacts businesses. We also recognize the value of neutrality on certain issues, respecting the diversity of opinions within our vibrant business community.
A pivotal decision made in 2006 was to begin hosting Candidate Forums, a decision firmly rooted in our unwavering commitment to impartiality. Unlike many organizations, we deliberately refrain from endorsing or opposing candidates, thus allowing us to provide a neutral platform for informed discourse. Over the past 17 years, we have organized forums spanning Federal, State, County, and Local elections, covering both partisan and non-partisan contests. In our region, non-partisan elections include but are not limited to those for the City of Woodland Park, Cripple Creek, Victor, as well as the Woodland Park RE-2 and Cripple Creek RE-1 school districts.
The objective of these forums is crystal clear: to educate voters on where each candidate stands on the key “issues” relevant to the office they seek. We prioritize insightful, issue-based questions that equip attendees or viewers to be informed before casting their ballot. Additionally, we’ve assisted in providing a local Blue Book on proposed Charter Amendments, collaborating closely with Charter review committee members and legal experts. These two initiatives—the Candidate Forums and the Blue Book—empowered voters with essential information, although we do acknowledge we are just one source among many.
In anticipation of our upcoming RE-2 School Board Candidates Forum, we followed our tried-and-true process, meticulously aligning with the election calendar’s intricate dance of petition deadlines, ratifications, and more. Moreover, thorough planning approximately nine months prior to the election date encompasses various crucial elements, including selecting an appropriate venue, appointing a skilled moderator, and ensuring a proficient timekeeper, among other key considerations. The Chamber has had the privilege of collaborating with a dedicated team of volunteers, individuals renowned for their unwavering integrity and extensive experience, who have expertly moderated our forums. These moderators have consistently garnered accolades from all participating candidates, who have expressed their heartfelt appreciation for the unwavering professionalism and seasoned expertise demonstrated throughout each forum.
We selected the RE-2 School Candidate Forum date, October 9, 2023 and promptly secured the venue. The announcement was disseminated through our Chamber and Community Calendar and shared with those active in the local School District in June of 2023. Invitations to candidates, however, were extended only once we received official confirmation of their candidacy. We received the official word from the School District on September 5th that the petitions had been ratified. The School District then informed us of the six candidates vying for three open positions, prompting us to send out email invitations on September 5th to each candidate via their campaign email addresses, followed by physical letters sent via postal mail.
These invitations conveyed the date, time, location, moderator and the rules of engagement for the forum, with an RSVP deadline of October 2, 2023. We have received three affirmative responses, with the remaining candidates having until October 2nd to respond. Remarkably, throughout our history of hosting Candidate Forums, we have consistently achieved a 99 – 100% attendance from invited candidates. Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, with the world teetering on the brink of lockdowns, we managed to uphold this record. This near perfect attendance reflects the integrity and commitment of the Chamber in conducting these forums, and it is gratifying to have candidates express their appreciation for our efforts in providing a platform that informs voters about critical issues before they cast their ballots.
In a world where information overload often leads to missed notifications or forgotten dates, we believe that the RE-2 School District’s recent invitation on September 12th to the six candidates inviting them to a School District Candidates Forum on the same date as the Chamber event, October 9th, was simply an inadvertent oversight or misunderstanding about the date.
In closing, we wish to assure our members and the Candidates that the Chamber will proceed with our planned event on October 9, 2023. Our primary goal remains unwavering—to provide a neutral and respectful forum where all candidates can confidently engage in a meaningful dialogue. We will pose questions that delve into the substantive issues facing our school, equipping voters with factual insights that will guide their decisions at the ballot box. We firmly believe that informed and engaged citizens are the bedrock of a vibrant democracy, and we are honored to play a part in this vital process.
This post will be updated as more details are learned about each event