Lake Elsinore City Council Candidates Forum Scheduled: 8 Vying For 3 Seats

Eight Lake Elsinore City Council candidates have been invited to discuss the issues in front of voters during an Oct. 4 Candidates Forum.

The event, hosted by the non-partisan Lake Elsinore Citizens Committee, will begin a 7 p.m. at the Tuscany Hills Recreation Center, 75 Summerhill Drive in Lake Elsinore.

Viet Tran, region manager for Southern California Edison, is scheduled to moderate the forum.

Donna Franson heads the Lake Elsinore Citizens Committee and reiterated that the organization does not make endorsements.

“The event is being held for the benefit of the voters,” she said.

The forum format will follow Riverside County Registrar of Voters guidelines and will include opening and closing statements by the candidates that are each timed at no more than three minutes in length, Franson explained. Questions will be posed to the candidates by Tran and each respondent will be have a time limit in which to answer. The questions were submitted by the community, Franson explained.

While all eight candidates have been invited to attend Thursday's forum, one candidate -- William Park -- has not responded, but Franson said a seat will be held for him.

The eight city council candidates are vying for three seats now held by council members Bob Magee, Melissa Melendez and Peter Weber. Magee is running for re-election to the council, Weber is running for election after being appointed to the council in 2011, and Melendez is running in the 67th State Assembly District race.

The six other city council candidates include Lake Elsinore Unified School District coach Jerry Carlos, Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce board member Natasha Johnson, Steve Manos, Lake Elsinore Planning Commissioner Rick Morsch, William Park and Craig Turner.

The community is encouraged to attend the forum; seating is first come, first served.

For more information, call Donna Franson at 951-674-1989.