A somewhat misleading announcement in today’s Vero Beach Flash Newsletter about a “first ever” candidate debate to be held at 8:30 this evening has raised questions among some about the Candidate Roundtable scheduled for 6 to 8 this evening at the Heritage Center in downtown Vero Beach.
Candidates Amelia Graves, Brian Heady, Warren Winchester and Richard Winger will participate in the Candidate Roundtable, which will begin at 6:00 p.m., with 30 minutes allotted to meet and greet the candidates. Hors d’ oeuvres and non-alcoholic drinks will be served, including fresh organic vegetable juices provided by LOVJuice. Joseph Guffanti will be out of town and unable to participate.
At 6:30, the candidates will begin what will hopefully be an elevated and thoughtful 90-minute discussion about where each proposes to lead the city.
“We are hopeful this format will give the candidates an opportunity to engage in discussion focused on the future of Vero Beach. It seems less than productive to continue to debate the sale of the electric system, which is why we have invited the candidates to focus on how they would lead the city forward,” Schumann said.
Schumann added that three additional forums are scheduled at which the candidates will almost surely be asked to stake out positions on the sale of the electric system. Immediately following the Candidate Roundtable, the candidates will participate in a debate hosted by Vero Beach 32963. The Taxpayers’ Association will hold a luncheon forum on Oct. 10 at the Elks Lodge, and the Indian River Tea Party will host a forum the evening of Oct. 17 at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
The candidate roundtable will be moderated by Schumann and Inside Vero associate editor Milt Thomas, and will be recorded for later broadcast on WAXE AM 1370 and FM 107.9 and Channel 10 Television. A video of the roundtable discussion will also be posted on InsideVero.com.
Indian River Guardian 
The original article was a little misleading, but that was entirely my fault. Now I understand that once the roundtable ends at 8:00 p.m. at the Heritage Center, the four candidates will also attend the 32963 debate at the Costa d’Este Beach Resort at 8:30 p.m. Thank you for the clarification. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the entire ad regarding who was attending the 32963 debate. It clearly states the four candidates who will be at the roundtable. That’s what I get for scanning rather than reading!
Tracy Carroll’s refusal to participate in spite of the resolution of her stated conflict simply creates another nail in her coffin of credibility. Her excuse was simply a lie. I hope mainland voters realize that she doesn’t appear to give a tinker’s damn about anything other than herself and the neighborhood created in her mind . . . which does not include you.
Brian Heady got a chance to show his rear end once again at a public forum. Other than his little snit, it was a good opportunity to meet the candidates. Thanks for providing the forum for the people who care about Vero Beach.