Forum at NSU last before Gubernatorial primaries

(Tahlequah, OK)--Northeastern State University will host the final forum for community members to hear from the candidates for governor of Oklahoma.Together with the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, NSU will welcome to TahlequahDemocrat candidates Jari Askins and Drew Edmondson and Republican candidates Randy Brogdon, Mary Fallin, Roger Jackson and Robert Hubbard. The forum will be held Wednesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Webb Educational and Technology Center.

Dr. Tom McKeon, chair-elect of the Oklahoma Academy and president of Tulsa Community College, will moderate the 90-minute forum during which all six candidates will answer questions from both the Oklahoma Academy and from the audience.

It is rare to see this type of forum with candidates from both parties before the primary, said David Moore, Executive Director of the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce. It will be one night and one venue to meet all the candidates who could potentially lead the state of Oklahoma.

Many organizations on campus are gearing up for the forum and recognizing what a unique opportunity it will be.

I am definitely excited to have this forum on campus, said Stephen Rogers, Inola senior. Its a great thing for our campus to host an event of this magnitude with each gubernatorial candidate expected.

Rogers is a state officer in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, a student political science organization that will be volunteering at the event. Above all, Rogers said he believes the personal time with candidates to be most valuable.

Face time with candidates is gratifying to an individual to express their personal concerns, but it also serves to give the candidates a new perspective and to put a face to their electorate in a very specific and intimate way, said Rogers.

Organizers of the forum emphasize the relaxed atmosphere of the event that sets it apart from other more formal political appearances.

These are not scripted sound-bite debates where show is more important than substance, said Julie Knutson, Director and CEO of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals. The questions come from critical issues the organization has researched and processed through its annual Town Hall Conference from which nonpartisan findings and recommendations have been developed.

The Oklahoma Academy for State Goals is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that brings public attention to policy issues and provides objective, thorough research while acting as a catalyst for positive change.

The mission of the Academy is to raise awareness on issues critical to the future of Oklahoma and its people, and in doing that the organization provides researched information on issues, said Knutson. She agrees that the interpersonal time spent with candidates during these forums can be very valuable to voters.

It is important to see and hear the tone, tenor, sincerity and passion that candidates express when addressing their answers to questions on critical and complicated issues, said Knutson.

As a part of the forum, audience members will be able to submit questions to the candidates on cards that will be drawn by the moderator.

I would like to ask about the state of our Department of Corrections institutions. After massive funding cuts, I want to know what will be done about our overpopulated prison system and disappearing rehabilitative programs, said Rogers.

In addition to the chance to ask questions, the forum will serve to connect community members to future state leadership.

It will allow for civic leaders to meet the next head-of-state and establish a relationship that could benefit Tahlequah and the surrounding areas for the next four or eight years, Moore said.

The July 21 forum is the final stop on a leg of university visits coordinated by the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals. Statewide primaries are set for July 27.

Of all the debates, the first and the last are typically the most important, and I believe hosting the final appearance says something about Tahlequah and NSU, said Moore. We are looking very forward to welcoming all of the candidates for governor to our fine city.

For more information concerning the OK Academy/NSU forum contact the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals at (405) 232-5828 or NSU Community Relations at 918-444-2009.