Corinth Municipal Elections 2009

On Tuesday, April 21st, local candidates gathered at Corinth City Hall for a debate style meeting hosted by Friends of the Lake Cities Library. The guest moderator was Linnie McAdams from Denton League of Women Voters. The format allowed citizens to submit questions for the candidates prior to the start of the event. This event was very well organized and facilitated.

The two mayoral candidates opened with a timed statement. The moderator presented questions from the audience and each candidate was given an equal opportunity to address that question.

Candidate Shannon Bryan - website
Candidate Paul Ruggiere - website
**Although municipal elections are non-partisan, Mr Ruggiere highlights his participation in the Republican party on his mayoral campaign website

After a brief break, the two City Council Candidates followed the same format.

Candidate Sherry Schnider - website
Candidate Jim Mayfield -

The meeting was briefly interrupted after the mayoral candidates were asked about their biggest accomplishment while serving as Corinth City Council member. Paul Ruggiere explained he was most proud of bringing the local Medical Center to Corinth. At this point, an angry citizen challenged the event facilitators accusing them of screening questions. This outburst resulted in the Corinth police escorting the citizen out of the meeting. As he was being escorted out, he shouted an accusation at Paul Ruggiere suggesting Mr Ruggiere's actions benefited land developer Ben Pinnell. The citizen was video recording at the time. He posted the video on the internet here. Subsequently, another citizen wanted to know why his question about Paul Ruggiere's campaign finances and specific donors had not been asked. The meeting facilitator explained that any questions submitted must be a general topic that could be addressed by both candidates. Time would be allotted after the debate for one on one questions with candidates. He said those details were not fully explained earlier.

Candidates sparred over the city’s inability to grow its commercial sector, slumping revenues and poor communication with residents. They also acknowledged problems hiring and retaining a City Manager Read more of the Denton Record Chronicle's report here

Friends of the Lake Cities Library video recorded this event and will post it on their website.