Hamilton County Mayoral candidates Sabrena Smedley and Weston Wamp will meet for a Republican Primary forum, which will be aired for public viewing on WTCI - PBS and WUTC 88.1, Thursday, April 14, at 8 p.m. EST, a non-profit coalition announced today. All candidates who qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary were invited to participate.
A spokesperson for the Matt Hullander campaign said, "We agreed to four events at the beginning of the campaign and have two - Newschannel 9 on April 7 and WRCB/TFP on April 11 remaining.
Matt’s schedule was already set when we received the invitation and, in looking at the hosts, we noted that Matt has met with the Chamber (twice) and is meeting with CHA 2.0 right now. CHA 2.0 is a host at the upcoming debate along with the Chamber of Commerce and many others who we’ve either met with or are meeting with in the coming days. We continue to meet with civic groups, non-profits, and voters every single day. We appreciate the opportunity; however, with limited time we have going into April, we are extremely focused on voter outreach and just couldn’t change the schedule to make this work. "
Partnering organizations include the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga 2.0, the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, and Venture Forward. WTCI-PBS and WUTC are presenting media partners.
The Republican Primary forum will be moderated by Ray Bassett, host of Scenic Roots on WUTC 88.1 FM. After brief introductory statements are made by each candidate, the debate will follow a standard format in which candidates will have up to two minutes to respond to questions, followed by up to one minute of response from the opposing candidate.
“At the Foundation, we believe that creating opportunities for sharing information and building relationships is as crucial as our monetary investments in the community," says Dwayne Marshall, Community Foundation VP of Community Investment. "We are excited to work with our partners to create space for shared learning and informed decision-making this May and August as part of the Hamilton County government election cycle.”
Viewers and listeners should expect candid discussions about the candidates’ experiences, priorities, and opportunities for the future of Hamilton County. The focus will remain on substantial issues and solutions for the community.
“WTCI understands the value of an informed community. It is mission-focused work. A candidate forum is an opportunity for those on the ballot to communicate their vision for our community. Working with our partners, it is imperative that we offer multiple platforms for this important programming,” says Bob Culkeen, president and CEO of WTCI-PBS.
The candidates will respond to questions submitted by the coordinating partners. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
“We look forward to furthering our understanding of Sabrena Smedley and Weston Wamp’s perspectives on key issues for Hamilton County. We’re proud to continue to be part of this partnership bringing the opportunity to know where these candidates stand on key issues to our community,” said Lesley Scearce, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Chattanooga.
Early voting will be held in Hamilton County April 13th through April 28th. The primary election will be held on May 3rd. More information about how and where to vote can be found at the Hamilton County Election Commission website at https://elect.hamiltontn.gov.