Up until Friday, Feb. 3 it appeared to 40 South, sponsor of the League of Women Voters forum for mayor of Brentwood, that after candidate Louise Charboneau passed on it would be canceled unless incumbent Chris Thornton said he would take part. He hadn’t responded to emails and phone calls from 40 South asking if he would.
The forum can’t take place with one candidate, and it appeared that Barbara Clements was the only one willing.
However, a volunteer at the LWV office said Thornton had emailed and called there, and had agreed to participate. So it’s on, with Clements and Thornton.
The forum is set for 7-9 p.m. on March 13 at at the Brentwood School District conference room, 1201 Hanley Industrial Court.
Many of the Madge Avenue neighbors want to express how sad we are to have lost Louise; our dear friend and active neighbor, who always had time to lend a helping hand, grab a cup of coffee, provide advice (on almost anything under the sun), and give you a straight answer. As several people have already expressed, she was the real deal and sincerely cared about the needs of the Bentwood citizens. Louise threw in her hat as a Mayoral candidate because she believed – she was as well informed as any of the elected officials, could listen and actively address residents’ concerns, and pledged to work full-time in the position to accomplish community goals. Louise would have been a remarkable opponent in the mayoral debate forum. We are very lucky to have had a friend and neighbor like Louise. She was giving, dedicated, smart, and willing to stand up and speak to the issues that she believed in. Louise leaves behind a life that we all cherished… she will be sorely missed!!