Inquirer, GOP co-sponsor local candidate forum on 'Lincoln Day'

The Gonzales Inquirer and the Republican Party of Gonzales County will join forces to co-sponsor an “Abraham Lincoln Day” Meet and Greet Candidate Forum this Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Texian, 608 St. Paul St., Gonzales.

Doors will open at 2 p.m. and the forum will begin at 2:30 p.m. Lew K. Cohn, publisher of the Gonzales Inquirer, will serve as moderator, while Betty Cohn will serve as the official timekeeper for the event.

Candidates for the March 1 joint primary will introduce themselves and then be asked a series of questions by the moderator with each being given a minute to respond. The candidates will then give a brief closing statement.

This is not a debate and candidates will not address each other, but instead will address the audience when giving their answers. The event is being held as a friendly exercise in the political process and as a way for voters to get to know those who wish to serve the community in these elected positions.

Admission to the forum is free and seating is first-come, first-served.

Known as the father of modern Republican Party, Lincoln, the 16^th president of the United States, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. The forum will be held on the 213^th anniversary of his birth. For his role in the abolition of slavery, the preservation of the Union and his guidance to help reinvigorate the economy and the U.S. banking system, he is often ranked as one of — if not the — greatest president in American history.