Meeting the candidates

4/17/2013 7:55:00 AM Meeting the candidates

The Gardner News Candidates for office continued making the rounds this past week as hopefuls for Templeton seats participated in public forums to discuss local issues and three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate visited Orange for a meet and greet on Sunday. The public events provide an opportunity for the candidates to discuss their views while also hearing from residents on important matters before the April 30 election. “We felt that the townspeople needed another venue to view the candidates,” Templeton candidates’ night co-organizer Bob Columbus said. Central themes at several recent forums included spending and education. The Narragansett Regional School District and Ashburnham-Westminster School District face Proposition 2 1/2 override requests. It was refreshing to see Narragansett Regional High School students host their first public forum with candidates for the Templeton Board of Selectmen. As shown with past forums organized by students in neighboring communities, the ’Gansett students provided a different perspective in their questions to candidates. “The elections are something that has been on the minds of parents, students, teachers and community members, and as much as people in town talk about the elections, so do our students,” said social studies department chair Erick Eiben. “We wanted a way to give them a way to participate in the process.” Voters will have a few more chances to hear from candidates leading up to election day. A meet-and-greet session for Ashburnham candidates runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Oakmont Regional High School tonight, and Westminster’s Forbush Memorial Library hosts a candidates forum from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. The Gardner News