For the first time in years, a congressional forum featuring the incumbent and a challenger will be on the Harbor, giving voters an opportunity to pose questions to both Democratic incumbent Derek Kilmer and Republican challenger Marty McClendon.
The League of Women Voters is hosting the event at 3 p.m., Friday, Oct 10, at the Rotary Log Pavilion in Aberdeen. The event is moderated by Grays Harbor College President Ed Brewster.
“Here is your opportunity to ask questions of the Congressional candidates to find out where they stand on the issues that impact your life,” organizer Shannon VandenBush says.
When Kilmer was elected two years ago, he and his challenger conducted election forums and debates out of the county, but never in Grays Harbor County. When Congressman Norm Dicks consistently ran for election, the forums were typically done in the Port Angeles and Tacoma areas, but not on the Harbor.
Local political observers can honestly not remember the last time a congressional forum between the incumbent and challenger was actually done on the Harbor.
Kilmer, himself, has not been a stranger to the Harbor, making consistent stops for parades, Rotary meetings and business forums. He has a background in economic development and is a former state legislator. The freshman congressman from Gig Harbor recently had his first bill approved by Congress and signed into law, adding the word “exclusion” to the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, created to recognize the victims of the Japanese internment camps during World War II.
Kilmer received an overwhelming amount of support during the August primary, taking in 58.7 percent of the vote. In a four-man race, McLendon received 34.32 percent.
McLendon’s website notes he attended the University of Washington and was an Anesthesia Technician for 13 years.
“Marriage and children pushed me to find a career with more control over my time, and I chose real estate,” the website states. “I’ve now been a Realtor for 15 years, and have received many awards for customer satisfaction. … The ‘soft money’ and special interests spend fortunes to tear down the character and question the motives of honest people who have stepped up to serve our country.”
Those who arrive a half hour early to the forum will get a chance to hear “pre-recorded vision statements” from those running for elected office in Grays Harbor County. Attendees can also vote for a high school election-related poster contest, VandenBush said.
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