Bringing a Candidate Forum to Italy

I called Italy City Hall this morning and told them I want to host a candidate forum for the upcoming city council election.

The plan is simple: bring every candidate into the council chambers, put microphones in front of them, and let the voters of Italy hear directly from the people asking for their vote. A Monday evening at 7 PM, on a date that doesn't conflict with any other city meetings. One moderator, prepared questions, and an open format where the community can actually engage with the candidates before casting a ballot.

Italy has never had an open candidate forum like this. Not in recent memory, anyway. I think it's time to start.

Why City Hall

The council chambers have a speaker system and microphones already in place. The candidates and the moderator can be heard clearly without anyone having to shout over a crowd. The community center, to my knowledge, doesn't have that setup.

There's also something appropriate about hosting a candidate forum in the same room where those candidates will eventually sit and make decisions. It sets the tone. It tells voters: this is real, this matters, and these candidates are accountable to you before they even take office.

The Call

I called City Hall this morning and asked to speak with Keith. I was told he was on a call and asked if they could take a message. I walked them through the plan and even offered to cover overtime costs to have an Italy police officer staffed for the duration of the forum. They confirmed my number and said they would be in touch.

That conversation happened less than two hours before I started writing this.

If you've followed my previous attempts to engage with the city and the EDC, you already know why I'm not sitting around waiting for a callback. I've learned that lesson. So I'm putting this out to the Italy community now.

Goodlow Did It

Goodlow, Texas has a population of roughly 200 people. During their last election, they hosted two separate candidate forums for five total candidates. The entire community showed up and participated. The civic engagement in that room was something I won't forget.

A town of 200 pulled that off. Twice.

Italy has a significantly larger population and a council election coming up. There's no reason this can't happen here. If anything, not doing it is the thing that should seem unusual. Candidate forums are how communities make informed decisions at the ballot box. Skipping them is how you end up with voters choosing names they recognize from yard signs and nothing else.

What I Need From You

If you're an Italy voter and you think hearing from the candidates before the election sounds like a good idea, call City Hall. Tell them you support the idea of a candidate forum in the council chambers. The more people who voice that support, the harder it becomes to ignore.

I already have questions prepared for the candidates. I'm holding off on publishing them until the logistics are sorted out. If the city works with me on this, we do it right: in the chambers, with the mic system, on a Monday evening the whole community can attend. If we need to host more than one forum to accommodate all candidates, that's fine. Goodlow did it. We can too.

If the city can't make it work, I'll host my own forum and invite every candidate to a livestream. I'd rather do it in the council chambers because I think it carries more weight. But one way or another, Italy voters are going to hear from their candidates before this election.

A New Tradition

Every election cycle, the same pattern repeats across small Texas towns. Candidates file, yard signs go up, and voters pick a name without ever hearing the person speak about what they plan to do. That's not civic engagement. That's a guessing game.

I want Italy to be different. I want this to be the first of many candidate forums, something the community expects every election. Something candidates plan for. Something voters look forward to.

It starts with one phone call, one forum, and a room full of people who want to hear what the candidates have to say.

I made my call this morning. Your turn.