District judge forum coming up soon: Deadline to submit questions to candidates is Sept. 18
Published 10:22 am Thursday, September 8, 2022
JOHN REITMAN
Residents of Boyle and Mercer counties have an opportunity to make their voices heard in an open forum for district judge candidates Patrick Barsotti and Stacy Coontz.
Organized by the group Justice Advocates, the forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 27 in the community room at the Inter-County Energy Cooperative located at 1009 Hustonville Road in Danville. The event is open to the public.
Residents can submit questions by email in advance for consideration and possible use at the forum. These questions should be sent via email to Boyle County Justice Advocates at jaforum2022@gmail.com by Sunday, Sept. 18. No questions from the public will be considered the night of the event.
The idea for the forum was born out of frustration by members of Justice Advocates over issues such as incarceration for non-violent offenders and lack of a drug court.
According to the Sentencing Project, a non-profit organization that “advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice,” Kentucky has an incarceration rate of 509 people per 100,000 of population, which ranks seventh nationally. Louisiana tops the list with an incarceration rate of 674 per 100,000.
The upcoming forum is designed to help voters better understand the role of district judge for Boyle and Mercer counties and learn more about the views of each candidate on key topics before heading into the polls in November. The deadline to vote in the upcoming election is Oct. 11.
Local radio personality Charlie Perry will be the moderator, and the event will be broadcast live on WHIR AM-1230 and FM 103.9 and will stream on hometownlive.net.
