PROUD’s Mission is “to sponsor opportunities that will encourage Ferguson residents to work together to build a community of harmony and equity, within a diverse group of people.”
PROUD encourages people to share their ideas and priorities with one another to develop appreciation and respect for one another.
Our events encourage participation by all members of the Ferguson community, encompassing a wide spectrum of opinions and political views.
Forums’ Purpose and Objectives
PROUD’s Ferguson City Council Candidate Forums have a different purpose than the forums provided by the League of Women Voters.
PROUD’s forums are not a debate. They are meant to be a conversation. The forums have no interest in choosing winners and losers.
The emphasis will be on sharing proposals and visions for bettering our city.
Each forum will concentrate on a specific topic. Each forum will allow all of the candidates time to develop and explain their ideas and offer thoughtful proposals through this longer format.
All speakers are to stay on topic. If the conversation or questions stray too far from that topic, the candidates are under no obligation to respond.
The forums should provide a good venue for the candidates to inform voters.
Event Schedule
The format for each forum will be as follows. A timekeeper will be provided.
6:00 - 6:05 — Welcoming statement. Each evening’s moderator was chosen for their widely-held reputation as being fair and Independent.
6:05 - 6:10 — Reading and acceptance of conversational agreements by all event attendees.
6:10 - 6:25 — Introduction to the evening’s topic by a subject-matter expert. This introduction will provide general background about the topic.
6:25 - 6:55 — Presentations by each of the candidates. Each candidate will have approximately five (5) minutes for their initial presentation. The order for the candidates’ presentations will be set by lottery.
6:55 - 7:45 — Questions and comments by attendees and candidates. Audience members’ and candidates’ comments should be limited to two (2) minutes. Candidates will be invited to respond to audience comments. Depending upon each candidate’s inclination to respond, the Moderator will try to provide equal time over the course of each evening to each candidate.
7:45 - 7:55 — Event wrap-up.
Conversational Agreements
PROUD events are successful because they bring together people of good will who can express their views frankly and constructively. To achieve this success, PROUD uses the following Conversational Agreements:
- The Moderator will control the order of comments from the event attendees. A timekeeper will also be provided.
- The Candidate Forums will be videotaped. The videos will be posted to PROUD’s website and Facebook page.
- One of the cameras captures a continuous 360° view of the room. Everyone in the room will recorded during the entire event.
- The AV device has several additional cameras that will each independently pan to the loudest sounds in the room. The cameras are very sensitive. Any comments will be recorded and the camera will capture the image of the speaker.
- No campaign literature or any other handouts will be permitted.
- Keep your comments specific to the event’s topic
- Listen carefully / Do not interrupt
- Disagreeing is okay, as long as it is done respectfully
- Listen with an open mind
- Assume others are speaking in good faith
- Be respectful of all participants
- No personal attacks
- Speak with honesty
- Recognize each event attendee as an individual, not as a representative of a group
- Seek clarification in a respectful way
- Agree to disagree when necessary
- After speaking, give others a chance before speaking again
Any attendee whose conduct is deemed by the moderator to be detrimental to the orderly proceedings of the event will be asked to leave.