Oxford resident Rod Charles is hosting a candidate forum Thursday, September 29 at 7 p.m. for the upcoming Oxford school board election at Boulder Pointe Banquet Center (1 Champions Circle).

Three, four-year seats on the Board of Education are up for grabs in the November 8 general election.

Vying for positions on the board are Stacey Beane, Dan D’Alessandro, Tom Donnelly, Katherine East, Jennifer Guthrie, Bruce Meyers, Kallie Roesner, Heather Shafer and Rick Vandecar.

Each of the nine candidates will be invited to participate in the question and answer forum.

With such a large number of candidates, Charles said it’s more important than ever for Oxford and Addison residents to get to know who’s on the ballot.

“We’ve got nine candidates and a lot of people don’t know who they are or what they stand for,” Charles said. “It’ll be beneficial because you’ll get to see the candidates and ask questions, both during and after the meeting. This forum provides people an opportunity to meet the candidates and see the candidates, rather than just hear about them. It’s a chance for everyone to see what they’re like and how they handle themselves in public.”

According to Charles, this forum will be held as a “friendly meet and greet,” rather than in standard debate format.

To start the evening off, candidates will each be given a minute and a half to introduce themselves.

After that, questions will be submitted in writing by members of the audience and presented to the candidates by moderators Rod Charles and County Commissioner Michael Spisz (R-Oxford).

With election day just around the corner, Charles stressed the importance of the event for all Oxford and Addison residents, whether or not they have children attending school in the district.

“The school system is probably the biggest financial entity in the community. This is important for all Oxford district taxpayers. People who just received their absentee ballots, in particular, should take a look at this event. The more the merrier,” he added.

Those that would like to ask the candidates specific questions are encouraged to come to the meeting before 7 p.m. by Charles, so they may fill out and submit a question card for the candidates.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Refreshments will be available from a cash bar at the event.

Oxford Community Television (Channel 191 for Charter subscribers and Channel 99 for AT&T U-verse customers) will tape and broadcast the candidate night. Call the station at (248) 628-9658 for dates and times.