Chamber-sponsored virtual town hall meeting Thursday

SAINT JOHNS COUNTY –  As part of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce “Politics in St. Johns,” a virtual live Town Hall  will be hosted Thursday, Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. by visiting the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/sjcchamber.

    “We urge all voters to “tune in” on Thursday to watch the three candidates for St. Johns County Commission (District 1) discuss current issues of importance to St. Johns County voters,” said Bob Porter, vice president, Public Policy, St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. Audience members will be able to ask questions via the session’s moderator, Mark Nighbor, Chairman, St. Johns County Board of Directors and Vice President, Advanced Disposal. The hour long dialogue will be recorded and posted to the Politics in St. Johns webpage at https://www.sjcchamber.com/politics-in-st.-johns. During this unusual year, St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce has pivoted to a virtual platform for candidate information and the annual straw poll.

 “This live Town Hall is a new element for Politics in St. Johns,” said Porter. “I encourage all residents to visit https://www.sjcchamber.com/politics-in-st.-johns to learn more about the candidates (Jimmy Johns, Christian Whitehurst and Joe McAnarney) before Thursday evening’s discussion. Politics in St. Johns is the county’s largest candidate meet and greet. The program enables St. Johns County voters to “get to know” the candidates for public office and directly ask them questions prior to the August 18 Primary and the November 3 General Election.

“We are pleased that St. Johns County citizens can have access to many candidates and their platforms via our website, so they can make informed decisions for the upcoming election,” said Isabelle Renault, president and CEO, St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. “We especially thank the sponsors of the 2020 Politics in St. Johns:  Advanced Disposal, Advanced Business Solutions, FPL, Ameris Bank and Northrop Grumman.” Many candidates have submitted a brief video about their platforms and they are available for public viewing on the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce at www.sjcchamber.com. The videos allow candidates to put a face and story to their candidacy and candidates have shared contact information for voters to forward questions. The Politics in St. Johns website will remain live on the Chamber website through Aug. 19.

Traditional Straw Poll voting underway Aug. 11-Aug. 14

The traditional straw poll began Tuesday, Aug. 11 and will be open for voting through Friday, Aug. 14. All are encouraged to visit the Chamber’s website (www.sjcchamber.com) and click on the Straw Poll logo to register their preferences. Results will be publicized at the end of voting and while the unofficial results won’t necessarily reflect what will happen when the official polls open, they will provide excitement and feedback to participating candidates. Porter added, “The straw poll is less about who wins and more about encouraging and providing people incentive to be informed. The elected officials at every level of government make decisions that affect our lives and I am happy to see so many people taking advantage of an opportunity that will help them make an informed decision when entering the voting booth.”

At the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections website (www.votesjc.com), residents can register to vote and review the 2020 Candidate list. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18 (early voting is Aug. 6-Aug. 15) and the general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3 (early voting is Oct. 19-Oct. 31). To find out more about the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce or to become a member visit www.sjcchamber.com, call 904.829.5681, or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sjcchamber.