Election forum moves to new community center for Aug. 19 event
MADISON – A planned forum for candidates in the 2025 municipal election for the city of Madison on Aug. 26 has changed locations.
League of Women Voters of the Tennessee Valley; I Vote Madison; and Greater Huntsville Area Chapter or GHAC of 100 Black Women — are planning to conduct a candidate forum on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The event had been scheduled for Madison City Hall, but it will now be held at the new Madison Community Center. The center is located at 1329 Browns Ferry Road.
The forum will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Space is limited to the first 80 people, but I Vote Madison will record and livestream the forum for those who can’t attend in person. You can find more details about it on the “I Vote Madison” Facebook page.
Interested residents can help these groups create a list of questions for city council candidates running in the municipal election. To submit questions, visit Facebook/ I Vote Madison, and click the link. Organizers will curate a list of questions from residents’ submissions and provide the questions to the candidates before the forum.
At the forum from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., candidates for mayor will speak to the audience. Following an intermission at 6:30 p.m., the candidates for city council seats will discuss their stands on issues from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m.
The upcoming election will decide a new mayor and representatives for city council in three contested seats. Four seats had only one candidate to qualify.
Among the four uncontested candidates, one is a returning city council representative. Maura Wroblewski was reelected by default to District 1. The other three candidates were David Bier for District 2, Billie Goodson for District 3, and Alice Lessmann for District 5.
Districts 4, 6, and 7 will go to a vote as planned on August 25. The candidates for those districts are:
District 4
Michael McKay Rachel Homolak
District 6
Scott Harbour Erica White Karen Denzine (incumbent)
District 7
Kenneth Jackson John Seifert (incumbent)
With Mayor Paul Finley not seeking re-election, the mayoral race has become a contested contest. Three candidates, Ranae Bartlett, Margi Daly and Steve Smith, have entered the field. Both Bartlett and Smith have served on the city council in years past. Bartlett currently represents Council District 5 and has also served on the Madison City School Board. Smith is currently the Madison City Administrator under Finley.
Election details, like registration and eligibility, are available on the City Clerk’s webpage at madisonal.gov/1303/Candidate- Portal. Republican Women of Madison will also host a candidate forum on Aug. 12 at Movement Church, 1469 Brown’s Ferry Road. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., and the event will start at 6:30 p.m.
The club will live stream the meeting on Facebook/ Republican Women of Madison.
This organization provides opportunities for members and guests to educate themselves on issues and candidates. Members can increase their engagement in government by activism, voting, leadership training, community service and dialogue. (rwmadison.org) Individuals can submit questions for the candidates. Complete the form at forms.gle/9tnPa3m-MjAganhiN9.
Polls will be open for voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 26.
