Central United Methodist Church in downtown Concord will give Cabarrus County voters an opportunity to hear directly from candidates in two local races ahead of the November election.
The church will host a pair of nonpartisan candidate forums at 30 Union St. N., beginning with the N.C. Senate District 34 race from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.
A second forum featuring candidates for the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Both candidates for Senate District 34 — April Cook and former state Rep. Kevin Crutchfield — have accepted invitations to participate, according to organizers.
All seven candidates for the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners have also accepted invitations: James Bailey, Kristel Swayze, Dan Redding, Ian Patrick, Ingrid Nurse, Thomas Hill and Phil Henry.
The events are free and open to the public.
Organizers emphasized that the events will be forums rather than debates, with each candidate given an opportunity to introduce themselves and address issues facing the community in a civil, nonpartisan setting.
“We hope these forums will help to better inform our citizens about the positions that our various candidates have about important issues facing our community,” said Bob Anderson, one of the forum’s organizers. “Hearing directly from the candidates in person is much more enlightening than hearing from them in the mail or on social media.”
Anderson said organizers also hope the events encourage greater participation in the November election.
“We also hope that the forums will help to engage our community in the election process and encourage all to get out and vote,” he said.
Longtime former Independent Tribune editor Mark Plemmons will moderate the Sept. 24 Senate District 34 forum, while The Cabarrus Compass founder and reporter Chris Miller will moderate the Oct. 6 Board of Commissioners forum.
The events continue a recent tradition of candidate forums at Central United Methodist Church. In 2024, the church’s United Women in Faith hosted a forum highlighting women running for local offices. Last year, the church hosted a forum featuring candidates for Concord mayor and City Council.
Both upcoming forums will also be live-streamed. Recordings will be made available afterward on Central United Methodist Church’s website.
Thanks to Central for hosting this and thanks for Chris to make people aware......