Candidates for mayor, City Council take part in forum tonight

ROCHESTER - The public will get a chance to hear the city's mayoral and City Council candidates at a Candidate Forum tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers.

Among the candidates running for mayor are current mayor Caroline McCarley, Doug Lachance, who won two terms in the late '90s; State Rep. Matt Scruton and Donald Barnes, a Safran Aerospace Composites project manager.

Some of the issues seen as driving the election are continued concerns over a commercially challenged downtown, crime, the opioid crisis that plagues Rochester and whether or not the city should allow Keno gambling to help fund kindergarten.

Candidates for a Ward 5 City Council seat and all four mayoral candidates will answer questions from a media panel including reporters from The Rochester Voice and Foster's as well as from the audience on various local issues. Moderator for the event is former mayor T.J. Jean, current administrator of The Gafney Home.
The forum will be televised live and also taped by Cremmen Creative and rebroadcast prior to Election Day on Rochester Community Channel 12, courtesy of MetroCast.
Questions for candidates can be emailed to forum@rochesternh.net or can be called in during the live event only to 603-335-7557.