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Contact: Jason Marton
jason.marton@tamuk.edu or 361-593-4143

Candidate forum Feb. 15 brings together U.S. House, Texas House, Kleberg County candidates

KINGSVILLE (January 27, 2006) — A Candidate Forum will be held at Texas A&M University-Kingsville Wednesday, Feb. 15, for those in and around Kleberg County who want a better understanding of where the candidates stand on the issues.

The forum will be held in lecture room 132 of the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. The public is invited to attend this free event, in which they will be able to write down questions for the candidates and hear as many of them answered as possible during a one hour time frame.

The candidates scheduled to attend and answer questions are:

For the U.S. House of Representatives, District 27 seat, incumbent Solomon P. Ortiz (D) and William Vaden (R);

for the Texas House of Representatives, District 43 seat, incumbent Juan Manuel Escobar (D) and Richard Valdez (D);

for Kleberg County Judge, incumbent Pete De La Garza (D) and Adan Munoz Jr. (D);

and for Kleberg County Court at Law, incumbent Martin J. Chiuminatto Jr. (D) and Delma Rios-Salazar (D).

Each candidate will have five minutes to speak before the question and answer section and five minutes each afterwards to conclude.

The moderators for the event will be David Olvera, policy analyst for the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission and treasurer of the Javelina Alumni Association Executive Board, and Cynthia Olvera, director of student involvement at St. Mary’s University and president of the executive board of the Javelina Alumni Association.

The Candidate Forum is part of the national American Democracy Project, an initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates. The project is directed by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), with a project co-director coming from The New York Times. Heading up Texas A&M-Kingsville’s American Democracy Project efforts is Dr. Leslie Hunter, Regents Professor in history.

In addition, the Candidate Forum also will feature information tables for candidates not appearing on stage. They include:

for Kleberg County Commissioner, Pct. 2, incumbent Joe G. Hinojosa (D), Norma Nelda Alvarez (D), Arturo Pecos (D) and Robert Walter “Rusty” Rabe, Jr. (R); for Kleberg County Commissioner, Pct. 4, incumbent Romeo L. Lomas (D) and Faustino Erebia Jr. (D); for Kleberg County Clerk, incumbent Leo Alarcon (D) and Roy Cantu (D); for Kleberg County Treasurer, incumbent Hector M. Hinojosa (D) and Priscilla Alaniz Cantu (D); for Kleberg County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, incumbent Rey Munoz (D), Lindsey N. Lewis (D), Andy Gonzalez Jr. (D), Juan De La Paz (D) and William “Bill” Cashen (R); Kleberg County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, incumbent Mario Delgado (D), Edward “Eddie” Moreno (D), Juan J. Rodriguez (D) and Carmen Cortez (D); for Kleberg County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3, Winston Kelly (D), Sam Brown (D), Joe “Pepe” Figueroa (D), Joel F. Saenz (D), Christopher “Chris” Lee (D), Fred Ketcham (R) and Joe L. Stiles (R); for Kleberg County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4, unopposed incumbent Cheque

De La Paz (D); for Kleberg County Republican Party Chair, unopposed incumbent Jerry Tanner (R); and for Kleberg County Democratic Party Chair, unopposed incumbent Mary Ann Colin (D).

Information on the Candidate Forum and other A&M-Kingsville American Democracy Project events are available online at www.americandemocracyproject.com or by calling 361-593-2776 or 361-593-4154.

This page last updated 27 January, 2006