‘Friendly Forum’ will be at the Legacy Center.

By Don Rush

Long time Oxford Township resident, current Oxford Township Trustee and Oxford Downtown Development Authority Chairman Rod Charles, just doesn’t have enough to do – so he and Oakland County Commission Michael Spisz (R-Oxford) have organized a Meet the Candidates forum for Oxford School Board. The election is Nov. 8 and the forum is next Wed., Sept. 28.

“We’ve done this twice before in the Dr. William Skilling era (mid-2000s). I would hope a lot of members of the community will come to this forum because you hear all of these comments about schools and education and all the people who are interested. Here’s a good opportunity to show up, hear the candidates and ask them questions. A chance to meet the candidates and talk to them face-to-face,” Charles said. “So, I say, go to the forum, ask your questions, listen to their answers and then afterwards if you still want to talk, stick around and chit-chat with them afterwards.”

The forum space has been donated by the Legacy Center, 925 N. Lapeer Rd. The event will be in the Conference Room, which is located at the north end of the building and can accommodate several hundred people. Both Spisz and Charles will moderate the event, starting at 6:30 p.m.

According to Charles the format is “simple and effective” and should last one to two hours. Each candidate will have time limits to answer questions.

“When people come in,” Charles said, “They can write their questions on a 3 by 5 card and give it to my wife Karen or Tom Hoover. They will review the questions and take out the repetitive ones. They will give the cards to Mike and I and we in turn will ask the questions of the candidates.”

“This will be a friendly forum,” he said. “This is not designed for arguments or debates.”

There are six candidates currently running for four seats on the Oxford School Board, only incumbent one, Mary Hanser, is running. Current board members not seeking re-election are Korey Bailey, Chad Griffith and Erick Foster. (The resignation last Thursday of school board president Tom Donnelly will be filled by the board.) Aside from Hanser, those running are: Bryan Eftink, Charlie Hanks, Amanda McDonough, James Sommers and Michael Whitney. Candidate George Stoffan, Charles said, has dropped out of the race because of a change in jobs.

Charles has stated that all candidates have agreed to attend the forum.