Chattanooga candidate forum on campus January 30

The Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute (CWLI), in partnership with UTC’s Department of Political Science, Public Administration, and Nonprofit Management, Women’s Studies Program and Women’s Center will host a candidate forum on Wednesday, January 30, at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The public is invited to hear from candidates for Chattanooga City Council and Mayor in the March 5th elections. All qualified candidates who are running in the March 5, 2013, election are invited to participate.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Chattanooga Room of the UTC University Center, citizens will be introduced to each Chattanooga City Council candidate. Attendees will be provided a handout containing each candidate’s vision and have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with candidates in each of the nine districts.

Then, at 6:30 p.m. in the UTC University Center Auditorium, Cindy Sexton of WRCB Channel 3 will moderate a forum for candidates who aspire to be Chattanooga City Mayor. Each candidate will have an opportunity to share their vision for Chattanooga’s future and their strategies for accomplishing that vision. They will also be asked to share their positions on several issues specific to the City of Chattanooga.

“Events such as this candidate forum give citizens and candidates an opportunity to engage in conversation about their hopes and vision for Chattanooga without having that information filtered,” explained Dr. Stephanie Bellar, Professor in the Department of Political Science, Public Administration and Nonprofit Management. “The mayoral forum will allow citizens to hear the candidates address specific concerns about issues related to development, both economic and urban growth plans, and quality of life. Attending this forum will give citizens more of the information they need to make informed decisions about their vote. “

CWLI is a local non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to increase the number of women in positions of civic and business leadership by offering educational, networking, and information gathering programs throughout the year.

This event is being coordinated by CWLI’s Women Impacting Policy committee. The purpose of the Women Impacting Policy Committee is to enhance women’s understanding of the importance of being politically active, both individually and within a group; encourage women to run for political office, and empower women to impact policy.

For more information on all of CWLI’s programs, please visit www.cwli.org, or call 423-394-8173.