Opportunities abound to discuss county educational issues this fall
by James Simpson

Potomac News
Friday, September 12, 2003

James Young made some very good points in his column this past Wednesday. Most notably when referring to candidates for school board, as he observed: "Few want to talk about real substance."

I am happy to say that citizens will have the opportunity to ask candidates, for school board as well as other offices, meaningful questions in upcoming forums and debates scheduled throughout September and October. The Committee of 100 and the Lake Ridge Parks and Recreation (homeowners) Association (LRPRA) will be hosting numerous forums to give interested voters an opportunity to find out what candidates really think on issues that are not only overly-simplified on campaign literature but frequently part of front page stories.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the following upcoming events. You won't want to miss any of these opportunities to meet the candidates who very well could be making significant decisions for the next few years that directly impact your life and paycheck.

As a homeowner in the LRPRA community, I am glad that the association has put together several candidate forums. These are scheduled to take place on September 23, 24, and 30th and October 7th in the Tall Oaks Community Center on Cotton Mill Drive. The forums are open to non-members of the LRPRA, however, seating will be limited to the first 150 attendees. Additional information is available on their website http://www.LakeRidgeVA.com. According to their September newsletter, the candidates for these forums will be accepting questions from the moderator as well as the audience. So now is the time to start thinking about what poignant questions you would like to ask that the candidates can be held to if they win their race.

The Committee of 100, of which I am also a member, is co-sponsoring events with a wide variety of organizations. While there isn't enough space in this column to provide you with the names of the numerous co-sponsoring organizations, the information is available at http://www.PWC100.com.

The Committee of 100 is made up of a diverse group of individuals from the business, civic and government communities. Membership is open to folks who have demonstrated their interest in the affairs of the local area through participation in civic, business, cultural, humanitarian or similar activities. However, anyone is welcome to attend the candidates programs as well as the monthly non-partisan education programs.

The first of these forums is September 18th - this coming Thursday. The candidates in attendance will be those running for Sheriff and for the 29th Virginia Senate District. It will be held at the Holiday Inn in Manassas, and will include a dinner (cost $20 per person) from 7pm - 8pm, followed immediately by the forum, which will run until 10pm. Reservations and/or cancellations are required prior to Noon on Tuesday, September 16th. Call Nancy Pratt at 703-670-5915 with your name and contact information. Please note that the meal must still be paid for if you fail to show up without canceling before the 16th, as the Committee of 100 provides the caterer with an exact number of attendees.

For those who are not interested in dining prior to the event, or cannot make it there in time from work, you may still attend the forum. There is no charge for this, but seats will be limited to the capacity of the building - and will only be available on a first-come first-served basis - so be sure to get there as early as possible.

During sign-in, blank cards will be available for individuals wishing to submit questions for the candidates. Toward the end of the meal they will be reviewed by representatives from each of the co-sponsoring organizations. This group will vote to determine which single question best represents the questions in a particular category, and that question will be asked of the candidates.

The other dates that the Committee of 100 and co-sponsors have scheduled are as follows:

On September 25, a debate among candidates for the Board of County Supervisors from the Gainesville Magisterial District will be held at the Evergreen Fire Hall on Route 15. This program will begin with a meet and greet at 6:30, followed by the debate starting promptly at 7:30 pm.

The October 2nd debate will be held at Westridge Elementary School and will also begin with a meet and greet at 6:30 followed immediately by a debate between candidates for the Occoquan and Coles Board of Supervisors Magisterial Districts.

The final Committee of 100 co-sponsored forum will be held at the Montclair Country Club on October 9th, and includes candidates for the Chair of the Board of County Supervisors as well as the Chair of the Prince William County School Board. This session will include a dinner (again, $20 per person) which is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm, followed immediately by the forum from 8:00 - 10:00 pm. Please contact Nancy Pratt at 703-670-5915 with your reservation information for the October 9th forum after the September 18th forum has passed.

The groups that are co-sponsoring these forums will have information available for citizens who may be interested in joining them, please consider becoming more active in the community by joining one or more of these worthy organizations.

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James Simpson lives in Lake Ridge. He resides in cyber-space at http://www.jamessimpson.org.