Charlotte candidates' forum for Eastside

A candidates' forum for mayor and city council candidates is tonight, Oct. 13, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Amity Presbyterian Church, 2831 N. Sharon Amity Rd.

An informal meet-and-greet begins at 6 p.m.

Both Anthony Foxx and John Lassiter, mayor candidates, will be at the forum, as well as the eight candidates for at large seats on city council. (On your ballot, you get to vote for four.)

In the first half of the program, at-large candidates will each respond to the same questions; in the second half, mayoral candidates will each be asked identical questions. Most questions were written by an ad hoc group of neighborhood leaders to reflect the concerns of East Charlotte neighborhoods.

Moderator Mary Newsom, award-winning land-use columnist for the The Charlotte Observer, will also have time to add her own questions.

Co-sponsor neighborhoods and organizations include the neighborhood associations of Coventry Woods, Winterfield, Windsor Park, Country Club Heights, Merry Oaks, Birnam Woods, Easthaven, Idlewild Farms, Marlwood Acres, Plaza Eastway Partners, and Vernedale Farms; the condo associations of The Oaks, Coventry Woods, Rosecroft and Candlewood; plus Charlotte East Community Partners and East Charlotte Political Action
Committee.

For background on the candidates, one good source of information is CharMeckVotes.

Early voting begins Thursday at the Hal Marshall Annex, 618 North College St., in downtown Charlotte. For details, visit the Mecklenburg Board of Elections.