Heights voters have multiple opportunities to hear from local candidates

With the Nov. 7 election day approaching, a number of local community organizations have scheduled events in which voters have the opportunity to meet and hear from local candidates.

It's a busy election year for local contests, with three candidates running for the open Cleveland Heights Municipal Court Judgeship, five vying for Cleveland Heights City Council seats, four running for the Board of Education, two for University Heights Mayor, five for University Heights City Council at Large, and two for University Heights City Council 2-Year Unexpired Terms. Additionally, there are two state issues and two county issues on this fall’s ballot.

On Wednesday, Oct. 18, the League of Women Voters and FutureHeights are co-sponsoring a forum featuring all of the candidates. The event will take place at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd. The order of the program is as follows: UH Mayor candidates, 7 p.m.; UH City Council candidates, 7:25 p.m.; CH-UH Board of Education candidates, 8 p.m.; CH Municipal Court Judge, 8:45 p.m.; and CH City Council, 9 p.m. The event is open to the public, and attendees are welcome to come and go according to their interests.

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the community group Noble Neighbors has organized a Meet the Candidates night for both CH Municipal Court Judge and CH-UH Board of Education candidates. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m., at Noble Road Presbyterian Church, 2780 Noble Road. Noble Neighbors solicited questions in advance from the community and then narrowed them down into three questions that were sent in advance to all of the candidates. All are invited to come hear their prepared answers, and speak with the candidates informally after the event.

Noble Neighbors hosted an earlier candidate forum, for CH City Council candidates, on Oct. 3. To view a video recording of that event, go to https://youtu.be/_SNLy2shjAA.

CH-UH PTA Council arranged a Board of Education candidates night at Boulevard Elementary School on Oct. 4, and facilitated a question-and-answer session in which parents and other Heights residents could focus on district issues. Contact PTA Council at chuhptacouncil@gmail.com for details about the event.

There are other ways for voters to stay informed. The 2017 LWV Voters Guide to local candidates and issues is included as an insert to the October Heights Observer, and an online version, which features additional information from candidates, can be found at: www.vote411.org or www.heightsobserver.com.