A live debate has been scheduled for the three candidates seeking the Mariposa County Supervisor District 1 seat.
The debate will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at the Midpines Hall. It will be from 6-7:30 p.m. It will also be broadcast live on KRYZ 98.5 FM.
No tickets for the debate will be issued and it will be on a first-come, first-served basis until the hall is filled.
All three candidates have agreed to participate in the debate. They are Stanley Bissmeyer, Lisa Edelheit and Adam McClane. Incumbent Supervisor Rosemarie Smallcombe is not seeking reelection.
Technically, the filing deadline is March 6, but as of press time this week, nobody else has filed for the position. Should a candidate file, that person will be invited to participate.
The election will be held on June 2. If no candidate earns 50 percent of the vote, the top two will advance to the November general election.
The debate is another in a continuing series of forums presented by the Mariposa Gazette and KRYZ.
“We believe strongly a central role of the newspaper is to provide information about elections, and having the candidates present their views in a forum is one of those ways,” said Nicole W. Little, publisher of the newspaper.
District 1 is the largest by land mass and includes Yosemite National Park. It also includes Midpines, El Portal, Fish Camp, Yosemite West, Jerseydale, Yosemite Valley and other regions.
Yosemite National Park is the economic driver for Mariposa County, so this supervisor district carries a lot of impact when it comes to issues relating to the county, from revenue to tourism and more.
As part of the process, the public is asked to submit questions to the newspaper to be considered for the forum. Questions can be submitted in a variety of ways. The preferred method is via email. Send those to greg@mariposagazette.com. Questions can also be brought to the newspaper and dropped off or sent to Mariposa Gazette/candidate questions, P.O. Box 38, Mariposa, CA 95338.
The deadline for submitting questions is Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m.
The newspaper will determine the questions to be asked of the candidates and those will not be known until they are asked at the debate.
The format of the debate will include a moderator and two people asking questions. Staff writer Tom Lyden will moderate the debate in Midpines. The two people who will ask questions are Greg Little, newspaper editor, and Hannah Fleetwood, a member of the KRYZ Radio board of directors. Lyden may possibly ask follow-up questions during the event.
The opening and closing remarks as well as the questions will have time limits. A timer will be present for the debate.
“Our intention is to get in as many questions and answers as possible,” said Little. “The position of county supervisor is critical for the people of Mariposa County and we look forward to hearing how the candidates feel about various issues.”
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