Editorial: Candidates should be prepared for all questions

By: Editorial | Opelika Auburn News
Published: November 03, 2009

It’s better than a television advertisement. It’s better than a radio advertisement. It’s much better than a flier received in the mail.

Your best bet for understanding where the 2010 gubernatorial election candidates stand on a variety of issues, if you don’t know already, is to attend tonight’s candidate forum at Auburn University — if you can find a ticket. The forum, which begins at 7 p.m. in the AU Student Center ballroom, is scheduled to included Republicans Robert Bentley, Bradley Byrne, Kay Ivey, Tim James and Bill Johnson, and Democrats Artur Davis and Ron Sparks. The next governor of Alabama could very well be present.

The event will be moderated by Jeremy Campbell of ABC 33/40 in Birmingham.

Those who cannot get tickets to the event, sponsored locally by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, Opelika Chamber of Commerce, and Lee County League of Women Voters, are encouraged to pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Opelika-Auburn News, or visit www.oanow.com to read how the candidates responded to questions asked by the moderator.

Will Byrne be asked about the Alabama Education Association? Will Byrne be asked about cleaning Alabama government in the same fashion he attempted to clean up the state’s two-year college system?

Will Sparks be asked about the merits of taxing casino gambling in Alabama? He seems to support the idea.

Will Ivey be peppered on the importance of Alabama’s Prepaid College Tuition Program, or possibly new means to increase money for education?

Will Davis be asked how to solve prison overcrowding in Alabama, and will he shed some light on health care overhaul?

Maybe Robert Bentley, Tim James and Bill Johnson will be asked about ethics reform, legalizing medical marijuana and finding more jobs for a declining Alabama workforce.

We hope the candidates are hit with questions they were not prepared to answer because every day we are hit with circumstances we do not expect. Throwing softballs at the candidates is fine, to a degree, but let’s see these guys respond under pressure.

The one prepared to answer the tough questions may be the one best suited to reside in the governor’s mansion.