The Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition is pleased to invite all Hoboken residents to its 2015 City Council and Board of Education candidates’ forums, a tradition the Coalition has maintained for over a decade. The forums give Hoboken voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates running for the six ward seats on City Council and three seats on the Board of Education in the November 3, 2015, election. Due to the number of candidates for office, the City Council candidates’ forums will be divided into two groups of 7 candidates: 2nd, 5th and 6th Wards and the 1st, 3rd and 4th Wards.
The dates this year are as follows:
- Uptown Candidates Forum (2nd, 5th & 6th Wards) - Wednesday, September 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 1005 Washington Street.
- Board of Education Candidates forum – Monday, October 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. at
Our Lady of Grace School Auditorium, Willow Avenue at 5th Street. This forum is co-sponsored by the Parish of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph.
- Downtown Candidates Forum (1st, 3rd & 4th Wards) – Thursday, October 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hoboken Multiservice Center, 124 Grand Street.
These events are arranged by the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition, Inc., and moderated by Bob Bowdon, a professional interviewer and longtime resident of Hoboken, who has expertly conducted QLC-sponsored forums over the last eight years. These events have consistently delivered a lively exchange of policy ideas, opinions and comments on issues that the voters themselves consider the most important.
Written questions will be solicited from the audience and submitted to a three-person panel, who will select the clearest and most concise questions on a wide range of topics. Candidates will have a minute and a half to respond to each question, and a one-minute rebuttal will be allowed with permission from the moderator. Each candidate will have an opportunity to make one-minute opening introductory and closing remarks, and a timekeeper will ensure that time limits are respected in answering questions.
About the QLC
Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition is a non-profit, non-partisan citizen organization that has been active in Hoboken over the last decade. The QLC led the successful efforts to prevent construction of the Devils hockey arena in southern Hoboken, was instrumental in forging the western alignment of the Light Rail route in Hoboken, and with several other groups fought the early battles to secure 1600 Park Avenue as designated parkland. It participates with other civic organizations to advocate for ordinances for good government practices and to protect the historic structures that lend the city its character. In 2008, QLC formed the Committee for a Green Hoboken, which worked with the city on an agreement to control carbon dioxide emissions and sustainable development ordinances, and helped secure funding for an energy audit of municipal buildings.