League of Women Voters of Central Kane County to host Feb. 16 candidate forum for Geneva races

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County is hosting a hybrid forum for candidates for Geneva Park District board, Geneva Unit District 304 board, and Geneva City Council Ward 4 in the April 4 consolidated election.

The forum will be held in-person with an audience at 7 p.m. at the Geneva Public Library, 227 S. Seventh St.

The event also will be livestreamed and available for later viewing on the websites of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County (my.lwv.org/illinois/central-kane-county) and the Illinois Voter Guide (illinoisvoterguide.org).

The forum will be divided into three segments: Geneva Park District board; Geneva City Council Ward 4; and Geneva Unit District 304 board.

Each candidate will be allowed a one-minute opening statement.

Following opening statements, candidates will respond to questions submitted by the audience.

Audience members' questions will be reviewed by a team of League members for appropriateness prior to being asked.

Each candidate will be permitted up to one minute for each response; timing may be extended at the discretion of the moderator if necessary to allow for a full response.

At the end of a segment, each candidate will have up to one minute for a closing statement.

The following candidates are invited to participate. Most of these candidates have already received invitations via email.

In three cases where email addresses were not available, invitations were mailed to the candidates the week of Jan. 23.

• Geneva Park District board candidates: Peter Cladis, Timothy E. Fara, and Douglas D. Jones

• Geneva City Council Ward 4 candidates: Gabriel Kaven and Martha Paschke

• Geneva Unit District 304 board candidates: Molly Ansari, Robert Larry Cabeen, Andrea Heeg, Brent Nakayama, Paul Radlinski, and Brittney Quinn Sopcak.

"Our local volunteers work throughout the year to register new voters and deliver important information about upcoming elections. The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization, never endorsing a candidate or a political party," said Patti Lackman, voter service chair of the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County. "Forums such as this one are a fantastic opportunity for candidates to share their views and respond directly to voter concerns. We encourage every candidate invited to this forum to make arrangements to participate. These forums only work when candidates show up."