Although Drinking Liberally, hosted at the Shanty off Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street, has hosted several Tucson Unified School District board candidates to present their views and candidacy to that particularly Dem-friendly crowd, the first technical forum for the race took place Monday, Sept. 17 at the New Spirit Lutheran Church and hosted by the Saguaro Eastside Democrats.

If you missed this forum, uneventful mostly due to the time constraints, there are plenty of opportunities to get a better understanding of what the candidates are all about — with 12 candidates, including three incumbents, it's quite a task.

The next forum is hosted by Drinking Liberally on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the Shanty, from 6 to 8 p.m., 401 E. 9th Street, followed by another forum on Monday, Oct. 1, at the YWCA Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave. (south of St. Mary's Avenue and west of I-10). This forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Voices for Education and the Metropolitan Education Commission, is 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Save TUSD's Neighborhood Schools will host a forum at El Casino Ballroom, 437 East 26th St., Thursday, Oct. 4, from 6:00-8:30 pm. And the last one planned, so far, is hosted by the Tucson Estates Community, 5900 W. Western Way Circle, Wednesday, October 10, from 6-8:30 pm.

At the first candidates forum, 11 of the candidates lined the table. Missing was Debe Campos-Fleenor. In our cover story this week, "The District Dozen," we weren't able to meet with the candidate or interview her by phone due to her recuperating from foot surgery.

When Campos-Fleenor will be available to answer questions and present her platform is unclear, but the Range was forwarded a response the candidate made to an e-mail request sent to all candidates by organizers of the Save TUSD's Neighborhood Schools' forum.

The e-mail invite:

We would like to invite you to a TUSD Board Candidate Forum and celebration of the 90th anniversary of both Ochoa and Mission View Schools in South Tucson.

This will take place on Thursday, October 4, from 6 to 7:30 pm at the El Casino Ballroom (437 East 26th St).

We plan to have at least 500 people attend.

We want to ask how you would vote on Superintendent Pedicone's plan to close schools and how you would fill the $17 million hole in the next budget.

Our group includes many students, parents, teachers, Casa Maria, many social agencies and political officials that live in and around the City of south Tucson.

Please respond as soon as possible by calling Brian Flag at (520) 624-0312 or e-mailcasamariatucson@yhaoo.com

Thank You

The candidate's response:

Plan on me coming provided I receive a doctor's release. Thank you