Thursday, October 03, 2002

Wilmington, NC – The Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) in conjunction with WAAV radio, the Star-News, and UNCW will sponsor three candidate’s forums in preparation for the Nov. 5 general election. All forums begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at King Hall Auditorium on the campus of UNCW.

The first forum will be Thursday, Oct. 10, featuring three candidates for New Hanover County Sheriff and two candidates for District Attorney. The Monday, Oct. 14 forum will be for the eight candidates for the New Hanover County Board of Education. The Tuesday, Oct. 15 forum will feature the five candidates for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.

The forums will utilize a panel format featuring the following panelists who will question the candidates: Dr. Tom Barth, associate professor of political science (Oct. 10 and 14), and Dr. Earl Sheridan (Oct. 15), professor of political science, UNCW; Rhonda Bellamy, WAAV News; Jon Evans, news anchor and managing editor of News Channel 3 – WWAY-TV; Victoria Rouch, reporter for the Star-News; and Brandi Davis (Oct. 10), Perry Fisher (Oct. 14), and Aaron Saykin (Oct. 15) of WECT-TV6.

Donn Ansell, prominent talk show host for WAAV, will be the moderator. Welcoming and introductory remarks will be made by UNCW Vice Chancellor for Advancement Mary Gornto (Oct. 10), UNCW Vice Chancellor for Information Systems Technology Robert E. Tyndall (Oct. 14); and UNCW Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Paul Hosier (Oct. 15).

The public is encouraged to attend and participate. Questions from the floor will be entertained.

The forum will be broadcast live on WAAV, 980 AM, and the Learning Network by UNCW-TV on Time Warner Cable Channel 5 and Charter Cable 18.

The Council of Neighborhood Associations, Inc. is a non-profit, grassroots coalition of neighborhoods dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in New Hanover County through citizen involvement and participation in local government. CONA is comprised of over 35 homeowner associations and affiliated civic organizations and community activists.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Jim Medlin at 910/791-5259. Mr. Medlin is president of CONA and chair of the CONA Forum Committee.