City of Laredo Partners with TAMIU Political Science Courses for Debates
Written by admin, Oct 5, 2010, 0 Comments
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
The City of Laredo Public Information Office and the Texas A&M International University Political Science Department wanted to be an integral part of the local political process, helping to shape people’s opinion of the candidates and motivate citizens to vote. It is once again partnering up to host two political forums for the candidates for Municipal Court Judge and Mayor invited to present their position on various issues, important to voters of Laredo. The two entities worked together to host a mayoral debate in 2006.
Dr. Mohamed Ben-Ruwin, professor and chair of Texas A&M International University’s Department of Social Sciences, said that the partnership allows TAMIU students an opportunity to learn more about politics and its process.
“By participating in this partnership, our Department wishes to accomplish several goals, one of which is to engage our community in their government and politics and establish a neutral process that will fairly and accurately present all political candidates to the voters,” said Dr. Ben-Ruwin, “The debates’ objectives are also to help the voters to make their own personal and informed decision regarding who they decide to vote for and provide an accessible, open and neutral political platform for the discussion of all important community and government issues and challenges.”
The forums are structured in a fair format in which candidates receive questions from students in the Constitutional Law course, for the Municipal Court Judge debate or in the American Government course, for the Mayor debate. Students were given instructions to develop questions that were issues-oriented and did not unfairly attack or give an unfair advantage to any candidate. The candidates have strict timelines in which to provide their responses, in either English or Spanish.
These debates will air on the local Public Access Channel, Cable Ch. 3 (available to Time Warner Cable subscribers only), several times before Early Voting begins, starting on October 15, 2010.
The City of Laredo will host debates for the remaining contested City of Laredo offices and both LISD and UISD school board races, which will be taped at the Public Access Channel studios next week.
TAMIU Student Center Auditorium, Room #236, 6 – 7 PM
WHEN: Wed., Oct. 6, 2010 Thurs., Oct. 7, 2010
Municipal Court Judge Mayor
