Three local candidate debates will be hosted by Loma Theater next week and will be free to the public. The mayoral debate will be held on Monday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. and then on Wednesday Nov. 1 the school board and city council debate are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

Melissa Hurtgen, Operations Manager of Loma Theater, said that she decided to host the debate after she heard Mayor Ravi Bhasker’s interview on the radio when he made a request for someone in the community to host a debate.

“I was surprised that nobody was putting one on already, I knew about the forum but that was geared more towards drugs and mental health, and they don’t get to have rebuttals,” Hurtgen said.

Hurtgen said she will be the moderator and will allow candidates a one-minute introduction before the questions. Candidates will be allowed one minute to answer questions and 30 seconds for rebuttals. Community members will submit the questions, anonymously.

The debate will be live streamed on the Loma Theater YouTube channel with live chat available for conversation during the event. Hurtgen said she has had confirmation from all mayoral and school board candidates that they are participating in the debate. Confirmation from city council candidates is pending.

“It’s going to be a really great evening,” said Hurtgen. She hopes that the event will help the community gain a better understanding of who they want to vote for.
The Loma Theater is located at 107 Manzanares Avenue in Socorro. Questions can be submitted up to the time of the event by emailing [email protected].
To watch the debate live go to Loma Theater YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LomaTheater

Jessica Carranza | Editor