Various groups have formed a coalition to discuss issues affecting Frederick today — issues that group members feel should be addressed by the city’s next mayor.
The Frederick City 2005 Candidate Forum Coalition plans forums that will discuss issues including voter registration, homelessness and many other topics, coalition members said in an Aug. 11 press conference announcing the group. The forums will be open to the public.
‘‘We are not here because we want to endorse any political party or any candidate for the upcoming election,” said Guy Djoken, Frederick County NAACP president and chair of the Candidate Forum Coalition. ‘‘We are just trying to find a channel by which our constituents will be able to address some of the issues that are very serious to us.”
The Rev. Brian Scott, executive director of the Religious Coalition for Emergency Human Needs, named a number of topics.
‘‘Some of the issues that clients that knock on our doors each day are facing are portable housing, health care, access to various services, equal opportunities for all,” Scott said.
The voter forum is a nonprofit organization made of groups including the NAACP, fraternity Omega Psi Phi, the Religious Coalition and the Interfaith Housing Alliance.
One of the coalition’s goals is to bring in a diverse group of people to discuss issues that affect people from the entire spectrum of the community.
‘‘Nobody has all the answers, but we must unite and work together” in order to gain a better understanding of what can be done to help solve the issues, Djoken said.
‘‘As a nonprofit agency, we want to be as inclusive as possible and encourage as many people to come out,” Scott said. ‘‘And the purpose of the forum is to listen and have the candidates have the opportunity to share their concerns about pressing issues in the community.”
James Upchurch, president of Interfaith Housing Alliance, said the forums would also enable candidates to express their viewpoints.
‘‘We think it’s important that we have this dialogue and that the forum give an opportunity for our constituents to understand where the candidates are on these issues,” Upchurch said. ‘‘We want to have the public be able to come forward on these issues and others and simply hear from our prospective leaders. How are you going to recognize this problem? How are we going to have a city with more equity and justice in the future?”
Marcus Williams, social action committee chair for Omega Psi Phi, said the coalition is intended to increase voters’ communication.
‘‘What this is all about is we need to start talking to each other,” he said. ‘‘We don’t communicate. More of us need to join in the conversation.”
Though the coalition hopes to become a long-term operation with different missions over time, its current goal is to get through the City of Frederick election, scheduled for Nov. 1.
‘‘This is just the beginning,” Djoken said. ‘‘And I really hope the coalition we are forming is going to really succeed and help the community.”
Originally published at The Gazette. Thursday, August 18, 2005