The Cobb Democrats are hosting a virtual meeting that will feature candidates for the municipal and school board elections for the City of Marietta.

The meeting is available on Zoom and Facebook live, and will take place Saturday September 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For information on how to watch visit the event Facebook page.

All candidates in contested seats for the municipal and school board elections have been invited, and the following candidates have confirmed their participation:

• Michelle Cooper Kelly (Mayor’s race)
• John Silvey (City Council, Ward 2)
• Ted Ferreira (City Council, Ward 4)
• Reggie Copeland (City Council, Ward 5)
• Carlyle Kent (City Council, Ward 5)
• P. J. Hardy (School Board, Ward 2)
• George Darden (School Board, Ward 4)

The format of the presentations and question and answer period will be as follows:

• Opening remarks from each candidate (up to 3 minutes per candidate)
• 3 questions with 90 second response times
• Closing remarks from each candidate (1 minute per candidate)

When the Courier asked Cobb Democrats Chairwoman Jacquelyn Bettadapur for a comment on the meeting, she answered in an email with a statement she made in the organization’s newsletter, “All politics is local, and it doesn’t get any more local than municipal elections.  Housing, traffic, schools, law enforcement, neighborhood zoning—these are the things of local government. They are quality of life issues that impact Cobb citizens each and every day.  Local Elections Matter!  And they are often won or lost by only a few hundred votes. Your Vote Matters!”

About the municipal and school board elections

The elections will be held Tuesday November 2, and the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Marietta municipal and school board elections are nonpartisan.

For information on how to request an absentee ballot, the county has produced a 7-minute video you can view below.