Results from the first political forum of the season are now available online. Many thanks to the Northern Neighbors for organizing the event and providing such a great public resource. Seasoned political hacks will recognize a lot of the same old tripe - quality of life, cost-effective government, better public process, more diversity of opinion, vision and leadership, etc.

Citizens can use this material, reading between the lines, to get a better sense of how each candidate might address their issues and possibly find better questions for each successive forum. That's the key. Pin them down, get specific. Too often, the tendency to stick with broad generalizations allows candidates to wax philosophic, whilst avoiding the nuts and bolts of key issues. For instance, in the referenced material, each candidate asserts their approval of initiating so-called "urban centers" in the neighborhoods. Every candidate stresses their commitment to preserving the Lake Whatcom watershed. However, those lofty statements fall far short of explaining how up-zones will retain neighborhood character and avoid urban impacts, or why building around the lake is still booming while the water quality is in crisis.

Citizens, and neighborhoods, would be well advised to hone their issues with precision and put them directly to the candidates.