By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
CONNEAUT — Organizers of Conneaut’s candidates night forum, criticized by some of the participants, defended the integrity and objectivity of Tuesday night’s event.
James Furman, whose Port Conneaut Federal Credit Union co-sponsored the event, said Thursday planners routinely review and critique each forum after completion.
“We’re always looking at ways to make it better,” he said. “There may be some tweaking.”
Some of the 12 candidates and their supporters, speaking via a local radio talk show, have claimed some questions asked by the audience were designed to embarrass Republican office-seekers.
Furman said there was no deliberate effort to discredit candidates. All questions asked came from the crowd, and were first screened by a three-person panel. Questions that passed muster were then given to moderator John Florian, who also reviewed them before reading them aloud.
The questions that raised the most ire, which inferred misconduct, were actually submitted by numerous people in the audience, Furman said. “The same questions were asked by several people,” he said.
The questions got the green light because they dealt with candidates’ “character and integrity,” Furman said.
While a few people have contacted the credit union to complain, the vast majority have been very supportive, Furman said. “A lot of the feedback has been positive,” he said.
Mike Bambarger, an at-large council candidate, said he felt the organizers “broke their own rules” regarding the way questions would be handled. “Candidates didn’t have the opportunity to answer all the questions (posed),” he said.
“I think it was a set-up from the get-go and was improper,” Bambarger said. “But it exposed the establishment that has run Conneaut for years and helped the candidates it tried to slander.”
Port Conneaut Federal Credit Union has been involved with similar candidate forums for many years, all successful, Furman said. “(The format) has worked seven times prior,” he said.
The other co-sponsor was the Conneaut Human Resources Center, which hosted the event. Edward Somppi, CHRC executive director, said he has fielded no complaints about the forum.
“And nor should we,” Somppi said. “It was a positive program. It’s unfortunate some people feel they were picked on.”
