Kent to put politicians to the test in Speed Candidating showcase

BY ROCHELLE ADAMS
For the Kent Reporter

Voters will get a chance to put several local politicians in the hot seat Thursday during the Kent Chamber of Commerce’s Speed Candidating event.

Set up much like the speed dating process, the event will feature the majority of the state House and Senate candidates interacting with voters within a time limit for each round. During the event, candidates will rotate between tables where groups of nine people will have the chance to hear from each one of them.

“That candidates will have five to eight minutes to talk,” said Andrea Keikkala, executive director of the Kent Chamber of Commerce. “The candidate can decide whether they want to do a canned speech for each table or if they want to interact with questions.”

They could also choose to divide the time they have with both a speech and questions, she said.

“This is a great, fun, interactive way to meet your candidates and ask the questions,” Keikkala said. “You need to know who you are voting for. It’s a very important process that our country is founded on.”

Last year, the Chamber of Commerce conducted a similar event with the Kent City Council candidates, she said. The event went so well, they decided to hold a similar event this year with candidates for state House and Senate seats.

The event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. with a reception catered by Down Home Catering during the first hour. The reception will be free to members and $20 for non-members.

This will provide an opportunity to connect with the candidates and network with businesses, Keikkala said.

The speed candidating portion of the event will begin at 6 p.m.

Registration will be open until the day of the event. The maximum number of people that can be accepted is 150.

The event will be held in the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E. Smith.