Havre Daily News to sponsor candidate forum

Candidates for state and local offices from the Hi-Line in the Nov. 6 election will take part in a candidate forum at 7 p. m., Thursday, Oct. 4, at Havre High School.

Havre Daily News will sponsor the forum as part of its coverage of the 2012 campaign.

Invited and expected to attend the forum are:

• Senate District 17: Democrat Greg Jergeson and Republican Don Richman
• House District 33: Incumbent Kris Hansen, a Republican, and her opponent, Brenda Skonogoski, a Democrat.
• House District 34: Incumbent Wendy Warburton, a Republican, and her Democratic opponent, Karen Sloan.
• Hill County Commissioner: Republican Debi Rhines and Democrat Mark Peterson.

Candidates in Senate District 16 and House District 32 will not take part in the forum, since Republicans failed to nominate candidates against the Democrats.

Havre High School government teacher John Ita has agreed to moderate the discussion. Many of his students are expected to attend.

"We're sponsoring this forum as part of our continuing coverage of the 2012 political campaign, " said Havre Daily News Publisher Stacy Mantle. "We want voters to get a chance to see the candidates up close. "

The candidates for each office will offer brief opening and closing statements.

They will answer questions submitted by Havre Daily News reporters. The newspaper is also soliciting questions from the public.

People can submit questions when this story is posted online at http://havredailynews.com, on our Facebook page, on Twitter at @HavreDaily or by mailing them to or dropping them off at Havre Daily News, 119 2nd St., Havre MT 59501.

Questions will also be submitted by the audience at the forum.

The forum will be webcast live on http://www.havredailynews.com. and will be rebroadcast later. The Havre Daily News will provide extensive coverage in the newspaper.

The forum is being held in early October because absentee ballots will be mailed out the next week. An increasing number of Hill County residents are voting absentee, meaning candidates want to get their message out earlier.

The forum will also kick off the Havre Daily News election website that will make it easy for voters to find stories and information on candidates and the districts they represent.

Do you have a question you would like addressed to the candidates at the Oct. 4 forum? Let us know:

• Mail it to or drop it off at the Havre Daily News, 119 2nd St., Havre MT 59501
• Email it to [email protected]
• Post the questions on the comment section of this story on havredailynews.com or our Facebook page.
• Send it by Twitter @HavreDaily.