Our Oct. 15 Forum
Forum summary: standing room only
The three announced Democratic Congressional candidates
for Colorado CD-2 (left to right), Jared Polis, Joan Fitz-Gerald
and Will Shafroth, pictured at PDA's
Oct. 15 Forum
By Kenneth Nova
PDA CO CD 2 Point Person
October 15, 2007 -- Despite the Colorado Rockies playing
another winning playoff game on the same night, the CO CD2
Candidates Forum at the Boulder Democratic Headquarters was
a huge success. Over 120 people turned out for the event
featuring Democratic Congressional Candidates Joan Fitz-Gerald,
Will Shafroth, and Jared Polis.
With one eye on the open House seat in the
2008 election, and the other on PDA chapter organizing in
CD2, PDA's Colorado CD2 Chapter was originated in the summer
of 2007. Because CD2 is a nearly safe Democratic district
-- there are still no declared Republican candidates -- members
believed that they could very likely help frame the campaigns
and then be a "listened-to" voice by the new representative.
Progressive activists decided to take advantage of this opportunity
to establish a relationship with each Democratic candidate,
and eventually the primary winner, by launching a PDA chapter.
On September 8, 2007, an estimated 65 people attended the
launch meeting. During the meeting, participants split up
into groups based on PDA's five main issues. Each group generated
questions to ask candidates at an upcoming forum for the
three candidates. After securing the candidates' agreement
to participate in the forum, the questions were submitted
to the candidates.
It was arranged to have the forum professionally videotaped,
so that a record of the event would be available on the internet
to share with those who couldn't attend the forum and for
those who live in the more remote, mountainous areas of the
CD.
Kevin Keilbach and Wendy Rochman facilitated
the forum to a standing-room-only crowd. After a brief
presentation about PDA delivered by Kenneth Nova, each
candidate spoke for ten minutes about their overall beliefs.
Five chapter members questioned the candidates on the five
PDA issues using the questions developed at the September
8 Launch meeting: Joe Richey, fair & transparent elections;
Steve Wangh, health care; Dave Anderson, economic justice;
Françoise Poinsatte, global warming; and Jim Scarritt,
Iraq occupation and redirecting funds.
The forum was not meant to be a debate, but a sharing of
ideas. The candidates' answers were kept to one minute each
in order to cover the issues and keep things moving. At the
end, audience members were invited to submit additional written
questions, which the chapter is sending to the candidates.
The event received front-page coverage in the Longmont
Times-Call and coverage in the Boulder
Daily Camera on page 3. The PDA
CO CD2 chapter is exploring the possibility of holding another
forum in coalition with other progressive groups in the area.
It is hoped it will be even more successful than the first
one. In addition, the chapter plans to conduct an Internet-based
straw poll of CD2 PDA members, leading to a possible endorsement.
(Originally published on PDA
national website)
Media coverage of Forum
"Fitz-Gerald,
Polis, Shafroth square off," by John Aguilar, The Camera,
Oct. 16, 2007
"Democratic
rivals agree: Warming is enemy," by John Fryar, Longmont Daily Times-Call, Oct. 16, 2007
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