4 mayoral hopefuls in roundtable Wednesday night

5/27/2009

Four Toledo mayoral hopefuls will answer questions Wednesday night on the city's economic crisis and other issues during an online and digitally televised roundtable.

The Blade and WTOL-TV, Channel 11 are hosting the online political forum from 8 to 9 p.m. on WTOL.com and News 11. Now with mayoral candidates Mike Bell, Ben Konop, Jim Moody, and Keith Wilkowski in the station's studios.

Each of the candidates said he was looking forward to the event.

Viewers are invited to ask questions by uploading the video to WTOL's pics.wtol.com Web site.

People can e-mail questions Wednesday to news@wtol.com or ask them during WTOL's LIVE Web chat.

Brad Harvey, WTOL news anchor, will put questions to the candidates from the station's online audience.

The live special will be streamed on WTOL.com and News 11 Now, which can be seen on Digital Channel 11.2 or Buckeye Cable Channel 111.

Blade readers can e-mail questions to townhall@theblade.com.

The newspaper's politics writer, Tom Troy, will be live and on camera in The Blade's newsroom to ask questions e-mailed from readers.

The candidates also have agreed to appear in two live televised debates before voters select the city's next leader in November.

They will participate in a debate sponsored by The Blade and WTOL on Aug. 24, three weeks ahead of the city's Sept. 15 primary.

Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and City Councilman George Sarantou have agreed to participate in the debate, should they choose to run.

The top two vote-getters in the primary will face each other in a second debate on Oct. 26 - the week before the Nov. 3 general election.

Both hourlong debates are to begin at 7 p.m. at Fifth Third Center at One SeaGate downtown.