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Editorial - Candidates show well at forum

Positive impressions from recent All-Candidates Forum

There was reason to be encouraged about Cstlegar’s future following Tuesday nights All Candidates Forum at the Community Complex.

There was the full turnout including the five current councillors hoping for reelection plus five who would be local council rookies if successful. There was also the incumbent mayor as well as a contender for the mayor’s seat.

Also seated in the long row were three candidates for a pair of School District 20 trustee’s seats.

Well worth noting was the standing room only crowd of interested citizens taking in the event, and the general level of decorum evident among the gallery.

Courtesy and respect, for the most part, were the order of the day.

The most uplifting signal received over the course of the session (which ran from 6-8:30 p.m.) was the overall make-up of the panel of candidates. Not all did a lot of talking, but everyone acquitted themselves well when they had the floor.

The five incumbent councillors demonstrated why they are where they are, while the hopefuls showed a lot of conscientious pluck as well.

The two men who would be mayor proved to be the main event on the night (see Craig Lindsay’s story on page one) and the residual impression gained from the experience was that, regardless of who gets in on November 19, Castlegar looks like it will be very well directed.