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VoxPopuli today announced that Editor-in-Chief Norine Dworkin will moderate a Candidates Forum for the Town of Oakland’s March 8 election for Town Commission Seat #1. VoxPopuli is a nonprofit digital news site covering government, politics, and social justice issues impacting Oakland, Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Windermere. 

“This is very exciting. It’s democracy at work,” said Dworkin. “For the first time in nearly 16 years, the people of Oakland have a choice in representation, and that is the foundation on which our country is built. I’m just there to facilitate an exchange of ideas so that Oakland residents will know where the candidates stand on the issues and can make an informed choice when they go to vote. We’re going to have a frank, lively discussion, and I hope people will turn out to listen to what the candidates have to say and bring questions of their own about the issues they care about.”

The candidates for Town Commission Seat #1 are incumbent Rick Polland and Matthew Bunevich. Polland, a two-term commissioner initially appointed to fill out an exiting commissioner’s term in 2012, is seeking a third term. The Lakeland, Florida, native has lived in Oakland since 2000. Previously, he served on the town’s Parks and Recreation Committee and the Board of Zoning Appeals and Adjustment. He is a graduate of the University of West Florida. Bunevich is a field consultant for 7-Eleven, serving as liaison between the corporation and its franchisees. Born in Tampa, he moved to Oakland from College Park with his wife and daughter in 2020. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida.
 

The Candidates Forum will be held at the Oakland Meeting Hall, 221 N. Arrington Street and live-streamed via Zoom, on Tuesday, February 28, from 7:00 until 8:00pm EST. It will feature opening statements from the candidates, who will then be asked to respond to questions formulated by Dworkin. The Forum will then be opened to questions from the in-person and virtual audiences.

Oakland’s Town Commission election will be held March 8. Early voting will be held February 28-March 4 at the Supervisor of Elections Office, 119 W. Kaley Street, Orlando. Photo and signature identification is required to vote.

About VoxPopuli

VoxPopuli is a nonprofit news site that covers the politics, government, and social justice issues that impact Oakland, Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Windermere, providing an alternative voice on West Orange news. It is a member of the Nonprofit News Institute, an organization of more than 350 nonprofit news outlets across the country dedicated to investigative and public service journalism.

About Norine Dworkin

Dworkin has more than 30 years of experience as a print and digital journalist. Her writing has been published in daily newspapers, alternative weeklies, numerous national magazines and websites, and several essay anthologies. She holds an MA from New York University and a BA from Oberlin College. She lives in Winter Garden with her teenage son.

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For more information, please contact:
Robin Schoen
Robin Schoen Public Relations
215.595.7542
rschoen@robinschoenpr.com