North Fulton Tea Party Hosts Candidate Forum

Tea Party conservatives in North Fulton aren't waiting until the next presidential election to size up the candidates, they're starting locally with the city council candidates from Roswell, Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

"Certainly, there is more scrutiny on our national elected leaders than ever before," North Fulton and Friends Tea Party Organizer Dianne DeVore told Roswell Patch. "That same level of examination should happen at the local levels. We hope to provide a forum for voters to be more educated and informed about the candidates than ever before."

To help facilitate a closer look at local candidates, the North Fulton and Friends Tea Party - a local group of residents who convene once a month around an effort to "protect" Constitutional liberties - will host a candidate forum Monday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. 

"Virtually all of the candidates for Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Roswell have verball confirmed and most have submitted their application," said DeVore.

According to the group, the candidate forum is necessary due to the people feeling like they didn't get what they were promised during the 2008 election and subsequently through the actions of the U.S. Congress. 

"Voters now want the people on whom they vote to be as thoroughly vetted as possible," DeVore said in an e-mail. "This type of forum will give the local voters the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates and enable them to compare the answers [and] candidates."

According to DeVore, questions for the candidates will come from the audience, Facebook, the group's web page, email lists and from the moderators themselves - former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel and Georgia State Senator John Albers.

"We have asked people to send us their questions, which we will compile for each local election and our two moderators...will ask selected questions," she said.

Rusty Humphreys of The Rusty Humphreys radio talk show heard Monday-Friday on WGST-640 AM will make a special appearance during the forum.

The free event will take place at The Doubletree Hotel, 1075 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.