Matthew J. Doherty

ASBURY PARK PRESS

BELMAR - The two men vying for the one available Borough Council seat next month are set to debate each other at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Democrat Thomas Volker and GOP hopeful Richard J. Wright will face off during the Belmar Homeowners Association’s fifth annual Meet the Candidates Night at the Taylor Pavilion on Ocean and Fifth avenues.

Last year’s debate drew some 250 residents, said Douglas Sweeny, co-president of the association.

“It’s our version of the presidential debates,” he said.

Fraidy Reiss

Meet the Candidates night set for Oct. 21

The Coast Star

The Belmar Homeowners Association [BHA] will be hosting its annual “Meet the Candidates” night on Tuesday, Oct. 21, just two weeks before the upcoming general election.

Democratic candidate for council Thomas Volker and Republican candidate for council Richard Wright will be answering pre-screened questions during the debate, as well as questions offered to them by the public in attendance.

Both men will be competing in this November’s general election for the council seat of Councilman William Merkler, which will expire on Dec. 31.

The candidate who receives the most votes on election day, Nov. 4, will fill the three-year term on Belmar’s governing body.

The event - which will kick-off at 7 p.m. and run until 8:30 p.m. that evening - will be held once again at the Taylor Pavilion, on 5th and Ocean Avenues, in Belmar.

No fee will be charged for admission and the debate is open to all Belmar residents.

Coffee and refreshments will be served for those in attendance.

The BHA is currently soliciting questions from the public via a lockbox which has been placed at the Belmar Borough Hall.

The BHA will select 12 to 13 questions from the lockbox to be screened by the candidates prior to the debate, according to BHA Co-president Doug Sweeny.

Ed Bonder, also co-president of the association, is organizing this year’s “Meet the Candidates” night and will be working with the candidates one-on-one to select the questions they see fit to address during the debate.

While the candidates will be informed of the questions beforehand, the order of the questions will be decided at random, Mr. Sweeny said.

The public will have a chance to ask the candidates questions following the formal debate.

Jim Hohn, an Independent, according to Mr. Sweeny, will be moderating the debate.

A total of 200 to 300 residents are expected to attend.

To solicit questions for the “Meet the Candidates” night, visit Belmar Borough Hall and place questions in the lockbox there.