LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Clarifying the candidates’ forum structure

Posted

To the Editor:

I need to clarify what was reported in the Herald (“Meeting the candidates”) after last week’s annual Board of Education candidates’ forum, a PTA Council event hosted as a courtesy to the community.

The East Meadow PTA Council and units follow Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, bringing in outside moderators to maintain neutrality; the PTA cannot endorse any candidate. We follow a format outlined by the League of Women Voters, which states that it is the job of the moderator to maintain order during the event, to group questions together and eliminate any questions of a personal nature or deemed to be inappropriate.

The league also states that when a candidate is running unopposed, they do not need to be included on the panel. This year, we decided to provide more time for the two individuals running against each other to answer questions and for the two unopposed incumbents to make opening and closing remarks. The forum also has a specified time frame, and unfortunately, not everyone’s questions may be answered, as it is not a town hall meeting.

Before the forum began and after the rules were read, the moderator made a statement about a conflict of interest being the reason that Board of Education Trustee Marcee Rubenstein was not being asked questions. Nothing could be further from the truth. No conflict existed, as Ms. Rubenstein was running unopposed. This was verified with Nassau Region PTA officers before the event.

I hope that this clears up any misconception of our forum not being a fair event. Thank you.