Champaign County residents had the opportunity Thursday evening to hear directly from local candidates and learn more about issues on the November ballot during the first annual Candidates Town Hall.
The non-partisan, citizen-led event was held at the Champaign County Community Center Auditorium in Urbana.
The full event is available to watch for free on PeakOfOhioTV.com HERE and on Roku.
Organizers opened the event by explaining the purpose of the town hall and reminding attendees that the focus was on the concerns and future direction of Champaign County and the City of Urbana.
A statement submitted by Judge Lori Reisinger was read during the event.
The Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities then presented information about its proposed tax levy, which will appear on the November ballot.
Organizers of the proposed City of Urbana data center ban charter amendment also gave a presentation about that issue.
The event also included an update from organizers regarding the mayoral recall effort involving Urbana Mayor Bill Bean.
Urbana mayoral candidates were then introduced and took questions from the public, followed by the Champaign County auditor candidates and the Champaign County commissioner candidates.
Organizers said questions submitted by residents were reviewed and selected for the candidate forums. Because of time constraints, not every question could be asked.
Following the formal town hall, residents were encouraged to stay and speak with candidates one-on-one.
The event was designed to give voters an opportunity to learn more about the candidates and ballot issues ahead of the November election.
