Election season head's up for all you voters

Chances are pretty good that you already know who you want to win the 2020 presidential election, and why.

But what about your backyard politics? How much do you know about the people running for your city council? Your school board? Your highway district?

The Press editorial staff will give you a hand. In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 local election, we’ll profile contested races, giving you some insight into the people who want to govern on levels that will impact you, your family and your business directly.

With loads of help from the city of Coeur d’Alene, specifically the folks who oversee the Coeur d’Alene library and CDATV, The Press is also sponsoring a candidate forum next Thursday, Oct. 3, from 6:30-8 p.m. in the library’s community room. The forum will feature seven of the eight candidates for three Coeur d’Alene City Council seats. (The eighth candidate, Roger Huntman, said a forum is “not the way I want to present myself.”)

The public is invited to attend. The forum will also be recorded and air several times on CDATV before the election. Also, the forum can be seen live on the city’s Facebook page.

For those wondering why The Press forum is being aired and others might not, there’s a process to follow. The CDATV Committee reviews proposals from groups wishing to sponsor candidate forums, requiring the organization to be unbiased and to meet CDATV programming guidelines. The Press request passed the test.

The Northwest Property Owners Alliance will host a candidate forum on Oct. 17. The two-hour forum begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and will feature candidates running in contested local races in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden and Rathdrum.

There’s another way to learn about the candidates: Those who know them can share their insights through candidate endorsement letters to the editor.

Letters should be 275 words or fewer, and writers are limited to one letter during this election cycle. You can write about one candidate or several, but it has to be submitted in one letter no longer than 275 words. Only letters from Press subscribers will be published. The deadline for candidate endorsement letters is Monday, Oct. 28.

Sometimes these letters provide personal and professional information that otherwise would not surface during a campaign. So, subscribers, speak up on behalf of the folks you know will represent the interests of their constituents best. Send your candidate endorsement letters to mpatrick@cdapress.com.

Local elections might not feature the magnetism of their national counterparts, but when it comes to determining the quality of your local schools, highways and city governments, they could very well prove more important. Learn about the candidates and then be sure to vote.