Policy on candidate interviews for Primary

For the record, to candidates for election in the upcoming Primary, I strongly encourge them to contact The Courier and make arrangements to be interviewed by one of our reporters for the upcoming vote.

The Courier's policy has been and will remain that it does not run around after candidates to interview them for any contest. It is incumbent on those seeking election to pick up a telephone, put in a call and be on time for any meeting that is arranged with our staff.

All candidate profiles featured in Courier will include a brief biography and a description of a few goals. A photograph will be shot at the time of the interview and used with the feature discussed. Subsequently, that photo will be used throughout the campaign, should more photographs not be used by candidates.

Courier adopts this stand because press is something responsible candidates should be approaching in the interest of their own effort for office. Candidates are making their case to the public about why they should be elected. If they are not interested in putting their views out via our outlet, then that is a decision their campaign has made.

Courier will present features on any candidate, from any town in our coverage area, in the manner above. Parties or lack thereof have any bearing on what candidates will be presented.

I encourage all candidates in the Primary to contact the newspaper at their earliest convenience if they want to be interviewed. Restatement of this policy will happen on our Web site next week and in the newspaper the following week. Following the Primary, I guess I'll restate the same thing then about the General.