GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — As colder weather approaches and election season draws near, neighbors gathered Wednesday night to hear from candidates running for office in Grand Haven and Ferrysburg. The candidate forum came just days before absentee ballots are set to be mailed out Monday.
The League of Women Voters of the Grand Haven Area hosted their second candidate forum ahead of November's election, providing voters with a chance to hear directly from those seeking local office.
WATCH: Grand Haven, Ferrysburg neighbors get to know candidates running for city council, mayor
"It's really important to get the word right from the candidates mouth," Susan Robertson, League of Women Voters of the Grand Haven Area Secretary, said.
For many neighbors, the forum offered a valuable opportunity to learn about candidates before casting their votes.
"It just feels like a great opportunity to learn about someone before I vote for them," Tom Galetto, a Grand Haven resident, said.
In Grand Haven, two positions are uncontested. Mayor Bob Monetza is running unopposed to return to office, while longtime city and planning council member Mike Dora is running unopposed for a partial term on city council.
For full-term positions on Grand Haven's city council, there are two open seats. Erin Lyon, Sarah Kallio and former city council member Dennis Scott are all vying for those positions.
"Two of the candidates, I've never, are brand new to the Grand Haven council. Didn't know anything about them so I kind of wanted to know what their direction was. Hearing what they had to say gave me a good idea," Galetto said.
Across the bridge in Ferrysburg, there's a race for mayor and three open seats on the city council. Current Mayor Richard Carlson is being challenged by Jerry Silas. The four candidates running for the three open council seats are David Cook and current council members Bill Cate and Debbie Murdoch, with Tim O'Donnell running as a write-in candidate.
For many voters, finding information about local candidates can be challenging, making forums like Wednesday's particularly valuable.
"For local races many of us don't really know about the candidates, they don't get very much publicity and so this is one of the few ways we can actually find out who we're going to be voting for," Jim Dana, a Grand Haven resident, said.
Absentee ballots will be sent out Monday. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4.
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