KMBQ voter's forum deemed a success

WASILLA -- Tuesday night's voter information forum, broadcast on AM 700 and attended by around 30 community members, went off without a hitch. Unlike the usual candidate forum, Tuesday's event, held at the Alaska Club auditorium, focused on the propositions that will be put to a vote Tuesday.

"This is about getting the information out," said monitor John Klapperich, owner of KMBQ radio. "It involves different people's opinions, it's an information exchange in order to lower confusion in the proposition areas."

The forum included a panel of the three borough mayor candidates, Tim Anderson, Charlie Fannon and Steve Menard, and another panel of community members and public officials. Wasilla mayor Diane Keller, Palmer mayor Jim Copper, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District public information specialist Kim Floyd, MacKenzie port director Mark Van Dongen and NPI Timber LLC owner Terry Nininger made up the community panel.

The forum, which started with an introduction statement by Lt. Gov. Loren Leman, spoke to propositions 1 through 4, which dealt with school bonds, and proposition 9, which deals with the Port Mackenzie expansion bonds. The forum's design allowed a question to be asked to one or more of the community panel members, and then allowed the mayoral candidates to respond with their opinion on the particular bond question. Time constraints were not given, although Klapperich gave himself permission to halt a speaker if the information flow appeared to end.

"If there is good information coming out, we will let you keep talking," Klapperich said.

Sponsored by KMBQ, the Alaska Club, AM 700, North Star Multimedia and the Frontiersman, the forum allowed for both factual information and opinions about the particular bonds to be aired. Information about voting opportunities, especially an absentee booth on the corner of the Parks and Glenn highways the evening of election day, was also given.

Most members of the audience left with flags and other prizes, along with a greater sense of the propositions at hand.