Candidate Forum Friday: Tony Wilt & Carolyn Frank

Three candidates are running for the special election on June 15 to fill an empty seat left when Del. Matt Lohr was tapped by the McDonnell administration. However, only two candidates will face off since the Democrat decided to skip the forum.

Sponsored by the Valley Family Forum, here is the announcement:

You are invited and encouraged to attend a Candidates’ Forum at 7:00 p.m., this Friday, May 28, with independent Carolyn Frank and Republican Tony Wilt. The event will be held at the Cornerstone Church on Lake Shenandoah.

Along with Democrat Kai Degner, they are campaigning to represent the people of the 26th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, a seat that was formerly held by Matt Lohr. The special election for this seat will be held on June 15.

Degner Rejects Invitation
Unfortunately, Degner has just informed us that he will not participate in this or any other event sponsored by the Forum. That flies in the face of a public challenge he issued earlier this month for “the greatest number of opportunities possible to hear the positions of the candidates.”

Our Purpose
The Forum is a non-partisan organization whose goal is to help provide Valley voters with essential information on what the candidates believe and how they would plan to vote on key issues, especially those regarding faith, family, and freedom that come up regularly in the General Assembly. It goes without saying that voters need that information before the election rather than being kept in the dark until afterward, when it is too late.

The Program
We will use the same two-part format that we used last October with candidates Gene Hart (D) and Matt Lohr (R), and that Rick Warren introduced with John McCain and Barack Obama in 2008.

The first part will consist of general questions to each candidate separately. The second part will focus on more specific issues and bills that are likely to come up in the House of Delegates next year.

The event is open to everyone, whether they live in the 26th District or not, so we can share the information with others who may not be able to attend. Members of the media are also invited.

If you need additional information, please call Forum coordinator Rita Dunaway at 438-9543 or write to rita.dunaway@gmail.com.

See you there!