PARIS – Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer John Williams announced the chamber will host three political forums running up to Election Day on Nov. 2.

The first is a Candidates Forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Forum at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. It will feature four Senate and eight House candidates representing the eight towns of the Oxford Hills. The candidates will answer questions presented by the Chamber Legislative Committee, and questions from the audience will also be asked as time allows.

The second event is at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at the Western Maine University & Community College Center in South Paris. It will feature the Alliance for Maine’s Future, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Augusta. It is dedicated to improving the Maine economy through educating voters on key issues coming up on Election Day. The two primary functions of this program are supporting quality candidates and promoting voting.

The final event is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Forum at the high school. It will be a debate on the Palesky tax cap initiative, which will be question 1 on the November ballot. Carol Palesky, author of the initiative, and Geoff Herman with the Maine Municipal Association, will be the primary participants. Each presenter will have about 20 minutes for opening statements, followed by a brief opportunity to react to each other’s comments, followed by a question-and-answer period, using written questions from the audience.

The three forums, according to Ted Heidrich of the Legislative Committee, will be critical in helping citizens, employees and businesses make informed decisions about how they vote in November and the direction the state moves in as 2005 approaches.

Williams said the unreasonable tax burden shouldered by residents and businesses alike must be addressed, and it is the responsibility of the chamber to make certain that people are aware of how important it is to vote, who it is that they are voting for, and making their voices heard.

All three forums are open to the public, free of charge. For information phone 743-2281.