IRVINE : Election Forum for City Races Is Tonight

The League of Women Voters and the American Assn. of University Women will hold an election forum tonight to let voters question the candidates for mayor and City Council.

The 7:30 p.m. forum, which all but three candidates have agreed to attend, will be broken down into hourlong segments focusing on the race for mayor and then for City Council. The forum will be held in the City Council Chambers and will be shown live on Irvine cable Channel 3.

During each hour, candidates will make short introductory statements and answer questions from the moderator. The moderator will then pose questions submitted by audience members. Each candidate will be allowed to answer every question no matter to whom the question is posed, said Linda Brown, co-chair of the Irvine chapter of the League of Women Voters.

Answers will be limited to 30 seconds, Brown said. The timing is restrictive, but organizers decided it was the only way to allow a variety of questions and responses from each candidate.

The forum for mayoral candidates is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The council forum will begin at 8:30 p.m.

Candidates running for mayor are Helen Cameron, David Fondots, Marc Goldstone, Albert E. Nasser, Leslie J. Racey and Michael Ward. Fondots and Racey have told the league that they will not attend the forum, Brown said. Fondots has said he is dropping out of the race, although he will appear on the ballot. Racey said he could not attend the forum, Brown said.

Candidates for the two open seats on the City Council are John Boardman, Philip Bui, Kenneth Bruner, George A. Gallaher, Chris Mears, Dale Peterson, Christina Shea and Paula Werner. Bui, who announced earlier he was dropping out of the race, said he would not attend.