Mayoral candidates Billy Portman, left, and Tim Hogan. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
Incumbent mayor Billy Portman and challenger Tim Hogan have agreed to participate in redbankgreen’s “Faceoff Over Red Bank’s Future” next month.
So far, nine of the 13 candidates for council also have agreed to answer questions at the event.
Organized to offer voters insight into the candidates on the ballot for an historic May 9 election, “Faceoff Over Red Bank’s Future” is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 at the Red Bank Middle School.
The event, to be moderated by redbankgreen founder John T. Ward, will feature brief opening and closing statements by each council candidate, as well as a Q&A segment.
In response to a joint request from Portman and Hogan, the event will included a separate segment following the same format focused solely on the mayoral candidates.
In a conference call with redbankgreen Friday, Hogan said he and Portman had discussed the event and were hoping “to debate in a healthy fashion,” and Portman agreed.
Each heads a full slate of six candidates: Hogan’s team is self-branded as “Red Bank Together,” and Portman’s as “Red Bank’s Ready.” The race also features one non-slate council candidate.
As of early Wednesday, nine of the 13 candidates for six council seats had agreed to participate, and a tenth was a “maybe” based on prior commitments.
Because of time constraints, questions will be preselected by Ward. Readers can email suggested questions to redbankgreen[at]redbankgreen.com.
Each candidate will have one minute to respond. Rebuttals and time-yielding to other candidates will not be allowed. A uniformed referee will manage the clock.
The forum will also be carried live via Zoom. Register to watch and receive reminders below:
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