The Athens-Area and Oconee County Chambers of Commerce are partnering to host a Candidates Forum on Thursday, October 11, 2018, 6:00-8:00 pm.  The Forum will be held at Piedmont Athens Regional in the Medical Services Building, 3rd Floor Auditorium, located at 242 King Avenue, Athens, Ga.
 
Commitments have thus far been received from the following candidates: Senator Bill Cowsert (Senate District 46); Senator Frank Ginn and Dawn Johnson (Senate District 47); Representative Deborah Gonzalez and Houston Gaines (House District 117) and Representative Jonathan Wallace & Marcus Wiedower (House District 119).
 
Tim Bryant, News Director for WGAU, has agreed to serve as moderator and WGAU will broadcast live.

The Forum will have the following format:

1)      90 seconds available for an opening statement from each candidate.
 
2)     Candidates will be asked 5-6 questions.  Each candidate will be given the opportunity to answer the same question.   Each will have 90 seconds to answer each question.
 
3)     Each candidate will have a maximum of two rebuttals – candidates must select when to use them and rebuttals will be no longer than 60 seconds.
 
4)     There will be 60 seconds for a closing statement from each candidate.
 
5)     Questions will be pre-determined and not provided to any candidates.  Questions will be impartial in nature and devoted to a relatively standard set of issues.  Written questions may be solicited from the audience but the moderator will be given the right to reword any presented question.
 
For more information about the Candidate Forum, please contact David Bradley, President/CEO of the Athens-Area Chamber or Courtney Bernardi, President of the Oconee County Chamber.