If you had asked me four years ago whether I’d be having extensive conversations about a school board candidate forum, methinks I’d have laughed in your face.

Wednesday, October 20, 1999

If you had asked me four years ago whether I’d be having extensive conversations about a school board candidate forum, methinks I’d have laughed in your face. That’s the reality of my existence, however, and I believe I’m not the only one with that affliction in town.

For those of you that missed it and hoped for a recount in the next day’s Herald, I apologize (not very sincerely). I think Austin residents had plenty of advance notice and since nearly everyone gets public TV, I figured anyone who wanted to watch it did. If you had a prior engagement, I suspect KSMQ and at least 17 homes in Austin videotaped the candidates’ television debut.

Cosponsored by the League of Women Voters Austin and KSMQ-TV, the forum was one of the best yet. While no one actually got their claws fully unsheathed, the question and answer format allowed for a much livelier exchange than the two forums at the elementary schools. I, for one, felt the rapier point of Susan Fell Johnson’s wrath for a brief moment once, so I squirmed a little with John Ulland and Lewis Aase as she made her point about the last year’s financial problems and then twisted it in a little further.

It was hard not to chuckle at David Solomonson’s comment about brown-nosing; give him points for Ventura-like bluntness there, correct or not.

A person less acquainted with the district personnel couldn’t be blamed for some frustration, after seeing how many different administrators and central office personnel were discussed without actually being identified by name. Al Eckmann, Lori Volz, former business manager Charles Huntley, Candace Raskin – whom I assume is the one someone was talking about when they mentioned an assistant superintendent – all were discussed by title rather than name.

There may have been a little blood drawn Monday – I know the media didn’t exactly come out unscathed after one incumbent took the opportunity to vent – but I’m hoping the next two forums offer a little more pointed dialogue and a little less Minnesota nice.

The next two forums, by the way, will actually require the audience to leave the living room. You can expect the same high standards and excellent moderation, however, as one is sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and the other by the LWVA and a panel of concerned local business people.

The first, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in room C-100 of the East Building at Riverland Community College, will take place courtesy of the AAUW. The second is from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Ellis Middle School auditorium. KAAL’s own Dan Conradt will moderate that one, which is split into two separate candidate groups.

Back to Monday. The questions were good, LWVA and participating callers, job well done. KSMQ controllers, good job on doing the television thing and making sure we could hear everyone, smooth polished soundbites or not.

It would be nice to have a figure on how many actually did tune in to watch the Super 17.

Why?

– Number one, it would satisfy my yearning to know.

– Number two, maybe it would encourage KSMQ to place a little higher value on the forums. I heard they couldn’t make room any closer to the election, and with the dearth of local programming I found that somewhat surprising.

Jana Peterson’s column appears Wednesdays