Manhattan to Host City Commission Candidate Forum Oct. 1
MANHATTAN, Kan. — The public is invited to attend a City Commission candidate forum Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 5:30 p.m., hosted by the Downtown Manhattan Inc. Board of Directors.
The forum will be held at Rocker's II downtown event venue at 221 N. 4th St. Candidates will field questions related to Manhattan and downtown issues for about one hour. Light refreshments and water will be provided along with a cash bar.
Nine candidates are seeking three seats on the Manhattan City Commission in the Nov. 5 election. The forum is open to the public, and ample parking is available across the street at Fourth and Leavenworth streets.
Election Details
The nonpartisan election will fill three commission seats. The top two vote-getters will serve four-year terms, while the third-highest vote recipient will serve a two-year term.
According to Our Manhattan, a local advocacy group, nine candidates filed for the election by the June 2 deadline. The group has identified four major policy areas for candidates to address: — Budget — Economic development
— Parks and recreation — Outside agencies/social services
Policy Questions Available
Our Manhattan has compiled policy questions for candidates across these four categories. The complete list of questions is available through a Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zrqg7sizn8wb939u4gloi/Local-Elections-Questions-Our-Manhattan-2025-1.pdf
The organization stated it will share candidates' responses in future posts and provide "philosophy answers" to questions during Facebook Live interviews in the coming weeks.
Candidate Information
Based on previous election coverage, the nine candidates include a mix of incumbents and newcomers. Recent forums have addressed key issues including affordable housing, workforce housing incentives, zoning regulations, property taxes and city services.
The city commission serves as Manhattan's governing and legislative body, determining policy matters, approving ordinances and resolutions, and adopting the annual city budget. Each year, commissioners elect one member to serve as mayor.
Voting Information
The general election is scheduled for Nov. 5, with advance voting beginning Oct. 15. Elections are held every other year in odd-numbered years, with three City Commission positions chosen at each election.
For more information about the forum, contact Downtown Manhattan Inc. Additional election details and candidate information can be found at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/25356/City-of-Manhattan and https://www.manhattan.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=269.