Walton County Meet the Candidates - Tuesday, July 15, 2008

It is open to the public. 😀

Walton County Meet the Candidates
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Freeport High School Auditorium
6:00pm - 8:00pm

I have not heard about the format, if each candidate will be speaking, or if it is just a meet and greet. I believe Emerald Coast Assoc of Realtors is sponsoring the event, but I believe I read that it is open to the public.

The format I was told was State candidates first, then Commissioner candidates, then School district, then Sheriff. It is for 2 hours so I do not believe that there will be a whole bunch of questions and answers back and forth.

Which would be more informative -- the Red Bay rally or the Realtors' event?

Which would be more informative -- the Red Bay rally or the Realtors' event?

Both! ;-)

The Red Bay one is worth it just for the dinner. :drool:

Both! ;-)

The Red Bay one is worth it just for the dinner. :drool:

What are they having?

What are they having?

The shindig at Red Bay is like the political rallies we used to have all over the county. I will ask our bailiff when he strolls back thru - he is unofficially the "mayor" of Red Bay :floor:, but the last one I attended, they fried fish and hushpuppies, and the rest of the community brings a dish. These folks can cook. This is not the time to watch your cholesterol, and not the place for a Weight Watchers meeting. Homemade creamed corn, cheese grits, green beans (the soft, flat, cooked-with-bacon kind) and the hushpuppies. And banana pudding, and pound cake. And that was only on one side of the table. You might also expect cakes to be raffled off, and to be gratuitously policiticking by everyone in attendance, and their family members.

And Dread is playing in Red Bay this year too!

That one sounds interesting, but all of that home cooking and music may distract from the candidates.

That one sounds interesting, but all of that home cooking and music may distract from the candidates.

Nah. Fill your belly, pull up a chair (bring your own), mingle, and listen. I really do think we need a SoWal contingent at Red Bay. :wave:

Wow! I must say that by listening to tonight's performances, some people seem to really stand out above the others. I think that most of these people running for office, have zero experience speaking to an audience. If the public made their decisions based solely on the performances at a forum like tonight's, I think they would easily weed out 75% of the candidates. I was unimpressed with many of the candidates, especially the ones running for Sheriff. I thought one in the Sheriff's race really sounded like a leader, and the remainder were maybe after the large salary or the power grab. I'm curious to hear feedback from others on this race, regarding tonight's performances. Also, do any candidates running for Sheriff ever smile? That was the stiffest looking group of people I've ever seen. For the Democrats hoping to fill that office with the lone Dem running, I wouldn't hold your breath. It is really weird that the Sheriff's race is tied to a party. There was no noticeable party difference on stage, and most of the guys were rather dull and boring, without much to say. (BTW, current Sheriff, Ralph Johnson did not show for tonight's event. -- surprise, surprise.)

Robert Nelson did well in his district's school board race.

Good job, Alan Osborne!
Bob Hudson, you looked pretty good up there, too, but Alan is going to give you a run for your money.

Normally, I agree with the old quote, "politicians are like diapers. You need to change them often." However, I think County Commissioner, Larry Jones, needs to stay in office, given his competition in his district.

If you want to see tonight's Meet the Candidates, the video should be posted next week at www.EmeraldCoastMeetTheCandidates.com, courtesy of Emerald Coast Association of Realtors and Geoff Gurney.

So when is the RedBay event?

Wow! I must say that by listening to tonight's performances, some people seem to really stand out above the others. I think that most of these people running for office, have zero experience speaking to an audience. If the public made their decisions based solely on at a forum like tonight's, I think they would easily weed out 75% of the candidates. I was unimpressed with many of the candidates, especially the ones running for Sheriff. I thought one really sounded like a leader, and the remainder were maybe after the large salary or the power grab. I'm curious to hear feedback from others on this race, regarding tonight's performances. Also, do any candidates running for Sheriff ever smile? That was the stiffest looking group of people I've ever seen. For the Democrats hoping to fill that office with the lone Dem running, I wouldn't hold your breath. It is really weird that the Sheriff's race is tied to a party. There was no noticeable party difference on stage, and most of the guys were rather dull and boring, without much to say. (BTW, current Sheriff, Ralph Johnson did not show for tonight's event. -- surprise, surprise.)

Robert Nelson did well in his district's school board race.

Good job, Alan Osborne!
Bob Hudson, you looked pretty good up there, too, but Alan is going to give you a run for your money.

Normally, I agree with the old quote, "politicians are like diapers. You need to change them often." However, I think County Commissioner, Larry Jones, needs to stay in office, given his competition in his district.

Thanks for the report, SJ! :clap:

Wow! I must say that by listening to tonight's performances, some people seem to really stand out above the others. I think that most of these people running for office, have zero experience speaking to an audience. If the public made their decisions based solely on the performances at a forum like tonight's, I think they would easily weed out 75% of the candidates. I was unimpressed with many of the candidates, especially the ones running for Sheriff. I thought one in the Sheriff's race really sounded like a leader, and the remainder were maybe after the large salary or the power grab. I'm curious to hear feedback from others on this race, regarding tonight's performances. Also, do any candidates running for Sheriff ever smile? That was the stiffest looking group of people I've ever seen. For the Democrats hoping to fill that office with the lone Dem running, I wouldn't hold your breath. It is really weird that the Sheriff's race is tied to a party. There was no noticeable party difference on stage, and most of the guys were rather dull and boring, without much to say. (BTW, current Sheriff, Ralph Johnson did not show for tonight's event. -- surprise, surprise.)

Robert Nelson did well in his district's school board race.

Good job, Alan Osborne!
Bob Hudson, you looked pretty good up there, too, but Alan is going to give you a run for your money.

Normally, I agree with the old quote, "politicians are like diapers. You need to change them often." However, I think County Commissioner, Larry Jones, needs to stay in office, given his competition in his district.

If you want to see tonight's Meet the Candidates, the video should be posted next week at www.EmeraldCoastMeetTheCandidates.com, courtesy of Emerald Coast Association of Realtors and Geoff Gurney.

Thanks SJ. Yes, the biggest crowd I have ever been in front of. I was very, very impressed with the turnout. Way more than I expected. Wished I could have stayed for the Sheriff's but family business called me away.

I would like to thank ECAR (Emerald Coast Association of Realtors) for sponsoring the event, ECAR's staff for working the event, the panel and moderator, as well as the candidates who spoke. The event was professionally hosted. Good Job!

Could one of the long timers start a thread on Red Bay. This sounds like it deserves it's own, and i know I'm all for a SoWal contingent.

SJ - It was a well run event and a large turnout based on the past.

Thanks for your thoughts and insight into the candidate pool.

Next up is the Mossy Head event. Hope to see eveyone there.

If you need a map to the North Walton Republican Club's event, you can go to www.panhandleopry.com

Bob, when is Mossy Head's forum?

re Red Bay - Saturday August 9, Red Bay Community Center (on Hwy 81). Eating (or, "eatin'") about 3, Dread Clampett during/after dinner as they have another engagement later, and then the candidates. Per our bailiff, pray it does not rain. It will be important to bring a chair and at least a paper fan, if not a battery-operated one with a spray bottle, as the speakin' will be outdoors.

I enjoyed last night's forum, except for afterwards having to settle for Hardees when I had thought about Delta Kitchen all day. SJ, sorry I didn't see you. Fuzz had me down front in the third row and so I missed a bunch of people. :blush:

Shallows, any thoughts on that Sheriff's race from last night's forum, or would that get you into trouble?

ECAR did a wonderful job and I enjoyed being there. I learned a lot from the both the particpants and audience. See you on down the road.....