Hear the Candidates at Two Chamber Events Tuesday

Though Tuesday will be several weeks removed from July 31’s election day, it will be a day heavy on politics, as two Paulding County Chamber of Commerce events will feature several candidates for local and state offices.

The first is the Cobb EMC Power Breakfast, which will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at Bentwater Golf Club, 100 Golf Links Drive, Acworth. Slated to speak at the event are all the candidates for Paulding County School Board.

“It’s just a chance for the candidates to tell [attendees] a little bit about what they’d like to see. It’s no formal debate and there are no set questions,” said Kevin Kirby, director of Member Services for the Paulding Chamber of Commerce.

Only one school board seat up for grabs is being contested in this election cycle—that race will see Justin Rowland seeking to unseat At Large Board Member Joe Watson. District 1’s Theresa Lyons is unopposed, as is District 3’s Kim Cobb after . District 4 will see Richard Manous take office after incumbent Michael Skelton chose not to qualify.

All candidates in the school board races qualified as Republicans; no Democrats nor independents sought the offices, which means the sole contested race between Rowland and Watson will be decided on July 31.

Interested residents will be able to hear from more candidates at the at 7 p.m. as the venue plays host to the Chamber’s 2012 Candidates Forum.

The event will focus on two county races and four state races.

At the local level, attendees will hear from candidates for the Paulding County Board of Commissioners’ chairmanship and the board’s Post 1 seat. State offices featured will be House Districts 19, 66 and 67, as well as Senate District 31.

As of Monday afternoon, two of the four individuals seeking the county offices had made commitments to attend, Kirby said. In the two county races, Commission Chairman David Austin faces a challenge from Tony Crowe, while David Carmichael and Heidi Leggett will vie for the commission’s Post 1 seat .

Kirby said that all three candidates for House District 19 have confirmed their attendance at the event. In the District 19 race, incumbent Paulette Rakestraw Braddock of Powder Springs is being opposed by Michael Ray James of Acworth and Melissa Morrison of Dallas in the GOP primary. The victor will have no Democratic opposition in November.

All three Republican candidates vying for the new District 66 seat are set to attend—Michael “Mike” Miller, Bob Snelling and Mickey Thompson, all of Douglasville. Kirby said Kimberly Alexander of Dallas will be unable to attend as she will be away on business; she is the sole Democratic candidate seeking the House seat.

Kirby said neither candidate for the District 67 seat had confirmed as of Monday afternoon. In that race, incumbent Bill Hembree of Winston is unopposed for the July primary, but will meet Democrat Leigh McMutry, also from Winston, in November.

And all three candidates for Senate District 31 have confirmed their attendance. The three Republican candidates—incumbent Bill Heath of Bremen and challengers Bill Carruth and J.K. Rogers, both of Dallas—debated earlier this month; Dallas-Hiram Patch brought you live coverage from that event.

The forum will be moderated by Terry Lawler, executive director of the Regional Business Coalition.

The doors to the Dallas Theater will open at 6:30 p.m., and candidates will have tables in the lobby that attendees will be able to check out, Kirby said.

Kirby added that the event will be filmed so it can be shown on Paulding County Today on Comcast Channel 23.

Dallas-Hiram Patch aims to bring you live coverage of Tuesday night’s forum, as well as video from the event.

Learn more about election season in Dallas, Hiram and Paulding County by checking out the .

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