Local League of Women Voters host Three Candidate Forums in Northwest Suburbs

Three candidate forums have been held in the NW suburbs over the last three weekends. The forums were moderated by WGN political reporter and weekend anchor Tahman Bradley and sponsored by two local groups: The League of Women Voters of the Palatine Area and the League of Women Voters Arlington Heights-Mount Prospect-Buffalo Grove Area.

All of the forums have been well attended, with the one held at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library having an estimated attendance of over 500 people. Over the course of the three forums 13 races with 26 candidates were questioned. There were also five judicial candidates and 2 candidates, each representing either the Green Party or the Democratic Party who had 2 ½ minutes each to plead their case for being elected.

The races included candidates for Illinois House and Senate seats as well as candidates for the Congressional 8th and 9th districts. After the first candidate forum was over, Sean Casten, who was in attendance and running in the 6th Congressional District, received questions from the moderator, his opponent, Peter Roskam did not attend the event.

Questions were mostly provided by the audience, as is typical in a League of Women Voters Candidate Forum. Mr. Bradley, as moderator, also used some of his own questions. The questions were mainly on state finances, including property and income taxes, school and pension funding. Other issues included top priorities of the candidates, should they be elected, gun control, school safety, the minimum wage, immigration, environment/climate change, and legalizing recreational marijuana.