The event gave some 50 residents a chance to interact with candidates.
By Ifhmalee Caceuis
Original Air Date: June 17, 2026
Host: A candidate forum this week at a church in Newtown featured a slate of Democrat-registered candidates. But the discussion shifted from issues to something more profound: Engagement in the political process. WSLR News reporter Ifhmalee Caceuis was there.
Jimmy Glover: This is not a drill.
Ifhmalee Caceuis: That was the message Sarasota County School Board candidate Jimmy Glover delivered to voters during a candidate forum at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church on Monday afternoon.
The nearly three-hour event brought together candidates running for Congress, U.S. Senate and the Sarasota County School Board—all of them registered Democrats. Organized by the Matthew Montavon for Congress campaign, the forum gave some 50 residents a chance to ask questions directly and hear candidates discuss the issues shaping the future of their communities.
Questions from the audience touched on healthcare, housing, immigration, public education and development. However, as the discussion continued, a different theme began to emerge.
Again and again, candidates and voters returned to the same idea: participation.
Their message: many voters are searching for opportunities to reconnect with the political process and hear directly from the people asking for their vote. Manatee County resident Galen Cahill put it in words.
Galen Cahill: I think a lot of voters feel disenfranchised, especially when the state is going out of their way to disenfranchise their votes, and the opportunity for voters to connect with their elected representatives is valuable. 100%.
IC: That feeling carried throughout the afternoon.
The first panel featured congressional candidates Tamika Lyles and Matthew Montavon, along with State Representative Angie Nixon, who is running for U.S. Senate.
Audience members questioned candidates on issues facing Florida residents, but the conversation frequently shifted back to civic engagement.
For Montavon, the stakes extend beyond the issues currently making headlines.
Some of the organizers behind the forum at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church.
Matthew Montavon: Our children, our grandchildren, our future generations—what is this country going to be if we continue down this path? This is a crucial election, and we have to make a difference.
IC: The conversation continued during a second panel featuring School Board candidates Jimmy Glover, Megan Tennimon and Beth Mayberry.
While questions focused on Sarasota County schools and the future of public education, candidates again emphasized the role voters will play in determining what comes next.
Glover, speaking to the crowd, framed the election as a turning point.
Jimmy Glover
JG: This is not a drill right now. Public education is on the ballot right now. We don’t have time to play around anymore. We don’t have time for people to sit at home on their couch waiting for things to get done.
IC: For many in the room, the forum was about more than hearing campaign platforms. It was about what happens when voters decide whether to stay home or show up.
Candidates spent much of the afternoon urging residents not only to vote themselves but to talk with friends, family members and neighbors about the election.
The message was clear: If change is going to happen, it starts at the ballot box.
For WSLR News, I’m Ifhmalee Caceuis.
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