Walton County Meet the Candidates - Tuesday, July 15, 2008

[Smiling JOe]

Walton County Meet the Candidates
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Freeport High School Auditorium
6:00pm - 8:00pm

I have not heard about the format, if each candidate will be speaking, or if it is just a meet and greet. I believe Emerald Coast Assoc of Realtors is sponsoring the event, but I believe I read that it is open to the public.

 

[ShallowsNole]

It is open to the public.

 

[wrobert]

Walton County Meet the Candidates
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Freeport High School Auditorium
6:00pm - 8:00pm

I have not heard about the format, if each candidate will be speaking, or if it is just a meet and greet. I believe Emerald Coast Assoc of Realtors is sponsoring the event, but I believe I read that it is open to the public.

The format I was told was State candidates first, then Commissioner candidates, then School district, then Sheriff. It is for 2 hours so I do not believe that there will be a whole bunch of questions and answers back and forth.

 

[rapunzel]

Which would be more informative -- the Red Bay rally or the Realtors' event?

 

[ShallowsNole]

Which would be more informative -- the Red Bay rally or the Realtors' event?

Both! ;-)

The Red Bay one is worth it just for the dinner.

 

[Jdarg]

Both! ;-)

The Red Bay one is worth it just for the dinner.

What are they having?

 

[ShallowsNole]

What are they having?

The shindig at Red Bay is like the political rallies we used to have all over the county. I will ask our bailiff when he strolls back thru - he is unofficially the "mayor" of Red Bay , but the last one I attended, they fried fish and hushpuppies, and the rest of the community brings a dish. These folks can cook. This is not the time to watch your cholesterol, and not the place for a Weight Watchers meeting. Homemade creamed corn, cheese grits, green beans (the soft, flat, cooked-with-bacon kind) and the hushpuppies. And banana pudding, and pound cake. And that was only on one side of the table. You might also expect cakes to be raffled off, and to be gratuitously policiticking by everyone in attendance, and their family members.

And Dread is playing in Red Bay this year too!

 

[Smiling JOe]

That one sounds interesting, but all of that home cooking and music may distract from the candidates.

 

[ShallowsNole]

That one sounds interesting, but all of that home cooking and music may distract from the candidates.

Nah. Fill your belly, pull up a chair (bring your own), mingle, and listen. I really do think we need a SoWal contingent at Red Bay.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Wow! I must say that by listening to tonight's performances, some people seem to really stand out above the others. I think that most of these people running for office, have zero experience speaking to an audience. If the public made their decisions based solely on the performances at a forum like tonight's, I think they would easily weed out 75% of the candidates. I was unimpressed with many of the candidates, especially the ones running for Sheriff. I thought one in the Sheriff's race really sounded like a leader, and the remainder were maybe after the large salary or the power grab. I'm curious to hear feedback from others on this race, regarding tonight's performances. Also, do any candidates running for Sheriff ever smile? That was the stiffest looking group of people I've ever seen. For the Democrats hoping to fill that office with the lone Dem running, I wouldn't hold your breath. It is really weird that the Sheriff's race is tied to a party. There was no noticeable party difference on stage, and most of the guys were rather dull and boring, without much to say. (BTW, current Sheriff, Ralph Johnson did not show for tonight's event. -- surprise, surprise.)

Robert Nelson did well in his district's school board race.

Good job, Alan Osborne!
Bob Hudson, you looked pretty good up there, too, but Alan is going to give you a run for your money.

Normally, I agree with the old quote, "politicians are like diapers. You need to change them often." However, I think County Commissioner, Larry Jones, needs to stay in office, given his competition in his district.

If you want to see tonight's Meet the Candidates, the video should be posted next week at www.EmeraldCoastMeetTheCandidates.com, courtesy of Emerald Coast Association of Realtors and Geoff Gurney.