VERGENNES — Addison County is gearing up for the general election on Nov. 4. Concern over low voter turnout for the August primary prompted discussions for staging a series of forums and debates for the contested races in the county. One of those events, to be held at the Vergennes Opera House on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will focus exclusively on issues concerning the economy of Addison County and of Vermont.
The format of the forum is a little unusual, and is designed to elicit detailed responses on these important issues. Candidates will be given questions in advance to allow them to think through their responses. The forum is co-sponsored by Addison County Economic Development Corp. (ACEDC) and by Vision to Action Vermont.
This is a free event, and members of the public are encouraged to attend. The forum is open to all 13 candidates in contested races in Addison County. The four Addison County candidates who are unopposed will also be offered one minute to introduce themselves. This forum will be moderated by Robin Scheu, executive director of the ACEDC. This event will also be recorded by MCTV and will be available on the MCTV cable channel and website, middleburycommunitytv.org.
The format will consist of two rounds. In Round One, each candidate will have up to 2 minutes to answer the following question: Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area. What do you see as the biggest challenge to economic development in Vermont, and what do you suggest doing about it?
In Round Two, each  candidate will have up to 2 minutes to answer one of five questions. In addition, each candidate will be given one “rebuttal card” which can be used once for a 1-minute rebuttal to another candidate’s response.
ACEDC is the resource for navigating opportunities and challenges of doing business in Addison County. For more information visit www.addisoncountyedc.org. Vision to Action Vermont (V2AVT) exists to ensure a strong, healthy Vermont where opportunities abound for all Vermonters, and where a shared vision of economic prosperity encourages families and businesses to invest and domicile here. For more information, visit www.v2avt.org.