Lenoir-Rhyne to Host Hickory City Mayoral Debate Details

While I am working on getting a few things out, let me take the time to inform you of the Mayoral debate taking place in two days.

Lenoir-Rhyne Mayoral Debate
October 4, 2013
6:00pm
PE Monroe Auditorium

This event is sponsored by the Lenoir-Rhyne School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the LR Debate Team.

The event receives personal/professional development or community service convocation credit for our students; it will offer the local community a great opportunity to find out more about each of the candidates before the final day of primary voting on October 8th.

LR is very proud to assist the community in elevating the nature of political discourse that attends to the personal, communal, and business needs of all of Hickory's constituencies. We sincerely hope that you will attend and tell your friends about this opportunity. A special thanks to Prof. Cade Hamilton for his work in organizing the event. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Prof. Hamilton at cade.hamilton@lr.edu.

Initial Format of the debate is that it will last approximately two hours.

Each candidate will have an opening statement of (3 minutes a piece) = 18 minutes

Questions from moderators - each candidate will respond (2 minutes a piece). We hope to have at least 4 questions from the moderators and have some extra time dedicated to some healthy debate and moderation if clarity is required. (4 questions x 2 minutes x 6 candidates) = 48 minutes + ???? response time = 60 minutes??? for the round

Following the questions from the moderators, each candidate will have a closing statement
(3 minutes a piece) = 18 minutes for the round

The remaining time after the closing statements will be from the audience. As discussed, Lenoir-Rhyne debaters and students will begin collecting questions as soon as we open the doors of P.E. Monroe and they will continue to collect them through the closing statements. We will then have students read the selected question (questions will be pulled from a hat) and candidates will have 2 minutes each to answer, again. 

The Hound: In the time covering all of Hickory politics, this will be the only large setting actual debate that has occurred. The reason why the questions from the audience are being done in this format is to cut out the grandstanding that has taken place at forums held in the past. You have had audience members stand up and take several minutes espousing statements without even asking a question. It is understood that context/background is sometimes needed in detailing a question, but when individuals turn questions into grandstanding sessions, they take away valuable time and it is rude to the candidates who are trying to get a message out and to the audience members who are there to get as much information as possible to make an informed decision.

Thank You Lenoir-Rhyne University Debate Society for working to help have a comprehensive discussion about this Mayoral race so that the public can make a more informed vote. There is no reason that hundreds of people should not be at this event. I hope it is the success that I think it can be.