VIRGINIA — Candidates for the Virginia City Council primary election have been invited to meet for a forum on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Lyric Center for the Arts.
The forum is presented by Iron Range Today and the Lyric Center for the Arts ahead of the Aug. 13 primary election. The Lyric Center Annex is located at 516 Chestnut St., Virginia.
All seven city council candidates have been invited. There will be a meet and greet from 6-7 p.m. and the forum will follow until 8:30 p.m. Questions can be submitted ahead of time at lyriccenteronline.org/council-forum or in person until 6:30 p.m. The forum will include questions developed by the moderator and a small local committee of engaged citizens. Not all questions will be used.
“We’re very excited to host this discussion and provide the opportunity for voters and candidates to connect on the issues before the primary election,” said Paul Gregersen, executive director of the Lyric Center for the Arts.
Candidates seeking to move on to the Nov. 5 general election are Ricky Angellar, Annie Bachschneider, David S. Hansen, Steven B. Johnson, Julianne Paulsen, Rodney Salo and Jared Siebert. The council has three open seats in the general election and six candidates will qualify.
The forum will be moderated by Jerry Burnes, editor and co-founder of Iron Range Today. He’s an award-winning editor, reporter and photographer who has covered local governments and politics at community news outlets in Minnesota, North Dakota and Illinois. He’s the former editor of the Mesabi Tribune and currently resides in Biwabik. In 2020, he was named an outstanding political reporter by the Washington Post’s The Fix.
“I’m looking forward to talking to and getting to know the candidates, as well as providing a platform for voters and community members to connect with their local government,” Burnes stated in a news release. “Civic engagement is so vital to the future growth and development of Greater Minnesota.”
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