EMERSON—In advance of the Board of Education election on Nov. 8, all school and community members are invited to attend a candidate forum moderated by the League of Women Voters on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at Emerson Junior-Senior High School.
This event will also be live-streamed with the link available on the district website: emersonschools.org.
A flyer we received from the district Oct. 19 said two candidates were confirmed as attending: Will Graulich and Joseph Polvere.
In his outreach to Pascack Press, Superintendent of Schools Brian P. Gatens Emerson said the district is happy to join with neighboring and nearby districts such as Westwood, Cresskill, Tenafly, and Glen Rock in offering a candidate forum to the community.
He said the district also is happy “to help support such a positive event like a candidate forum by helping with scheduling and providing the venue and the live-streaming. The rest of the program — format, moderator, and the overall program — is in the capable hands of the League of Women Voters.”
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, political civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
The League does not support or oppose any political candidate or party. With 100 years of experience, the League is one of America’s oldest and most trusted civic nonprofit organizations.
To ensure that all forums are equitable, balanced, and informative, a League-sponsored forum includes a structured, timed format, timekeepers, and the oversight and direction of an impartial moderator, who is not a resident, i.e., cannot vote in the election.
Gatens said the school district is “grateful for the initial help of the Emerson Elementary PTA in attempting to schedule the event. Alongside the two dates that were initially floated by the PTA, the district also offered eight dates as well in the hopes that all four candidates could participate.”
He said, “Please note that the district’s role in the evening only consists of room setup and technical assistance. The League of Women Voters moderator is the only person who manages the questions for the participants. The format for the candidate forum is determined solely between the attending candidates and the LWV. The district has no role in the format.”