Havre forum set for local candidates
Tim Leeds 
Three Havre organizations are banding together to let local voters know how their candidates stand on issues before the Tuesday, Nov. 2, general election.  “These positions are all important, ” Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp. said this morning. “We thought it was important for us to provide a venue to let voters in this area know what the positions and opinions are of these various candidates. ”
Bear Paw is teaming up with the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and the Havre Daily News to provide the candidate forum, scheduled to start at 6:30 p. m. Wednesday in the Hensler Auditorium of the Applied Technology Center at Montana State University-Northern.
The candidates invited to the forum are:
• In the nonpartisan race for Hill County justice of the peace, Audrey Barger and Cathy Chinske Huston;
• Democrat James “Jim” Catt and independent Jeff Lavoi from the Hill County commissioner race;
• Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, and Democrat Dana Sapp Seidel from House District 33;
• Republican Kristin Hansen and Democrat Jack Trethewey from House District 34;
• Rep. Bob Bergren, D-Havre, and Republican Rowlie Hutton from Senate District 17;
• Republican Travis Kavulla and Democrat Don Ryan from the race for Public Service Commision District 1.
The forum will be for each race, including each separate legislative race, to have a different set of questions. The candidates will not be provided the questions in advance.
Each candidate will have one minute in which to make an opening statement, then two minutes to respond to each of three questions with a one-minute rebuttal for response to one of their opponent’s answers.  Tuss said the response from candidates has been slim so far, but he expects to have a full slate for the forum.  “I am sure we will have a good turnout, ” he said.  He added that he would have preferred an earlier forum, especially because so many local voters use absentee ballots and already have voted.
“Given that, we still thought it was better to have the forum than to not have the forum, ” Tuss said.

Three Havre organizations are banding together to let local voters know how their candidates stand on issues before the Tuesday, Nov. 2, general election.  “These positions are all important, ” Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp. said this morning. “We thought it was important for us to provide a venue to let voters in this area know what the positions and opinions are of these various candidates. ”

Bear Paw is teaming up with the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and the Havre Daily News to provide the candidate forum, scheduled to start at 6:30 p. m. Wednesday in the Hensler Auditorium of the Applied Technology Center at Montana State University-Northern.

The candidates invited to the forum are:

• In the nonpartisan race for Hill County justice of the peace, Audrey Barger and Cathy Chinske Huston;

• Democrat James “Jim” Catt and independent Jeff Lavoi from the Hill County commissioner race;

• Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, and Democrat Dana Sapp Seidel from House District 33;

• Republican Kristin Hansen and Democrat Jack Trethewey from House District 34;

• Rep. Bob Bergren, D-Havre, and Republican Rowlie Hutton from Senate District 17;

• Republican Travis Kavulla and Democrat Don Ryan from the race for Public Service Commision District 1.

The forum will be for each race, including each separate legislative race, to have a different set of questions. The candidates will not be provided the questions in advance.

Each candidate will have one minute in which to make an opening statement, then two minutes to respond to each of three questions with a one-minute rebuttal for response to one of their opponent’s answers.  Tuss said the response from candidates has been slim so far, but he expects to have a full slate for the forum.  “I am sure we will have a good turnout, ” he said.  He added that he would have preferred an earlier forum, especially because so many local voters use absentee ballots and already have voted.

“Given that, we still thought it was better to have the forum than to not have the forum, ” Tuss said.