The Irricana Community Hall was lined with candidates looking to convince residents that they deserve a seat on Irricana council, come Oct. 21.
The event wasn’t a traditional forum, as residents had their chance to speak one-on-one with candidate, with no restrictions or time lines.
The event ran for two hours, and had residents coming through the doors all evening long.
“I’m happy with the way it turned out,” Phillip Liesemer, organizer for the event said. “I think it’s important that people get the chance to meet them all.”
The event was advertised via Facebook on the Irricana Votes group web page, posters and on the electronic bulletin board.
“We pretty much advertised in anyway that we could,” he said.
Due to the large number of candidates running for a seat on Oct. 21 – 12 in total –organizers wanted to offer an event other than a traditional forum.
“This way voters get a better chance at having their question answered. If we had done a traditional forum it would have taken hours for everyone to answer questions,” he said.
Candidates didn’t seem to mind the new style, as they agreed it was more proactive to speak with voters one-on-one.
“I think it’s an open type of medium and it allows people to talk to who they want to talk to,” current Irricana Mayor Lisa Constantini said from her campaign table.
Residents also seemed to approve of the style, as they picked up pamphlets and stopped to talk with candidates they were curious about.
“There are lots of candidates, lots of misinformation out there and we came out to have some informed discussions,” 30- year Irricana resident, Megan Dornstauder said.
“Accountability is the biggest issue,” she said. “(We’re) tired of the negativity out there around council and Town staff, they don’t need that.”
For new comers, it was a chance to hear from the residents as what they believe needed to be addressed by the new council.
“People can ask us what they want to ask us without being rushed to answer the question,” candidate Thomas Blasetti said.
Representatives from all candidates were present to answer residents questions, although candidates Kim Schmaltz and Dennis Tracz were out of town for pre-scheduled appointments or vacations.
