Candidates get out message at LES forum

Corinna Cole speaks to the crowd while from left at the dais, Robie Marsters, Richard 'Chip' Harlow, Royce Heath and Paul Philbrick wait their turn. (Harrison Thorp photos)

LEBANON - About 40 Lebanon residents showed up for a Special Edition of a Candidates Forum at Lebanon Elementary School on Thursday.

Robie Marsters, Richard Harlow, Corinna Cole, Royce Heath and Paul Philbrick all took turns at the podium telling voters what they would do as the selectman to complete the term of former selectman Jason Cole who resigned at the end of last year.

The seat will be filled in a Special Election on March 11 and the term will run until June of 2015.

The candidates covered a wide range of topics from the old Town Hall, to issues of communication within the town to whether or not a town employee should be able to hold an elected town position.

The night comprised four crisply timed rounds in which candidates had either one-, two-  or three-minute talk times to introduce themselves, talk about important town issues, respond to a series of audience-prepared questions and give their closing speech.

A mostly packed house took it all in at a Special Edition Candidates Forum at Lebanon Elementary School on Thursday.

With many deferring their allotted time, the forum was completed within an hour.

The biggest crowd response of the night came when candidate Cole told the audience in her closing speech despite her last name she was in no way related to the former selectman.

The biggest drama of the night came earlier in the day before the forum when a Zumba class member told employees at Town Hall that their class was scheduled for the Lebanon Elementary School gymnasium and the candidates and the Candidates Forum would have to be rescheduled or relocated.

Luckily, the Zumba class found safe haven in the Hanson School gym and Candidates Forum was allowed to go forward as planned.

It was the second Candidates Forum to be sponsored by The Lebanon Voice and was moderated by Lebanon Voice editor Harrison Thorp.

A videotape of the night is expected to be available on Harlow’s No Spin Lebanon Zone Facebook page and The Lebanon Voice later today.