A Meet the Candidate for the Common Pleas Judge position and a debate for two local state seats will be held in early May.

An event in early May will allow voters to hear debates for two special elections and meet the judicial candidates for the Court of Common Pleas.

Stan Kosciuszko, president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, said the event — which will be co-sponsored by the chamber and the Butler Eagle — will begin at 5:30 p.m. on May 2 at Succop Theater on Butler County Community College's campus. The public is invited and admission is free.

Butler Eagle Publisher and General Manager Ron Vodenichar will moderate the debates.

“As the only newspaper serving Butler County, we take a serious and unbiased approach to covering local elections,” Vodenichar said. “This gives the candidates an opportunity to be seen and heard on an equal platform. We expect Armstrong and the Butler Radio Network will join us as they have in the past, so that all Butler County residents have options to get honest and complete coverage from real news sources.”

Democrat Sam Doctor and Republican Marci Mustello earned their parties' endorsements to vie for the 11th District seat vacated by former state Rep. Brian Ellis.

The other debate will see the candidates running for the state senatorial seat of Don White of the 41st district, who resigned due to health issues.

Kosciuszko said it is not yet known which specific candidates for the 41st district will participate in that debate.

He said the debates are important because voters will finally be able to fill the seats in May.

“We've not been represented for quite a while in the House and Senate in Harrisburg,” Kosciuszko said. “As the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, we feel as though Butler County needs to really, really be adequately represented.”

The debates will use the League of Women Voters format, in which candidates are asked a question, each is given a certain amount of time to answer and a rebuttal is allowed, Kosciuszko said.

Voters will select the replacements for Ellis and White in a special election on May 21, which is also the primary election day in Pennsylvania.

A Meet the Candidate opportunity will also be held at the debate event. There, residents can meet the candidates running for the seat of former Court of Common Pleas Judge Marilyn Horan, who moved on last year to federal court in Pittsburgh.

Kosciuszko said all are welcome to attend on May 2 and get to know the judicial candidates and the political stances of those running for the two state government seats.

“People really need to know who they are voting for, and not just by name — but by what these people stand for, their accomplishments and their community service,” Kosciuszko said.