More than 500 people are registered to attend next week's City Council Candidate Forum being co-hosted by the Greater Austin Chamber. The candidates for City Council places 1, 3 and 4 have been invited to participate and discuss the important issues for this year's election. This is a good opportunity for voters to learn all they can about the candidates who may become Austin's elected leaders for the next three years.

"Not only will these be the leaders who decide day-to-day policy, they will shape where Austin, Austin's quality of life and Austin's business are headed in the future," said Chamber Chair Kirk Watson of Watson, Bishop, London & Brophy. "These elected officials will be the ones involved in planning our future, deciding what will be in a possible 2006 bond election, and addressing the challenges facing our growing region. Educating ourselves on the candidates is the first step to making an informed decision."

What: City Council Candidate Forum
When: Wednesday, April 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Four Seasons Hotel, 98 San Jacinto Blvd.

In the last two non-mayoral, City Council elections, less than 10 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. This is the impetus behind the Chamber's Get Out the Vote strategy, "Take Two for Austin's Future", in which Chamber members are being urged to take two people with them to vote in the May 7 election.

Early voting begins on April 20 and ends on May 3. Travis County voters can verify that their voter registration is up to date at http://www.traviscountytax.org/goVotersRegistration.do At this site, voters can ensure that their information is correct as well as find out where to cast their ballot.

Other sponsors of the forum include the Downtown Austin Alliance, Real Estate Council of Austin, Inc., Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Capital City African-American Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, Capital Area Transportation Coalition, Building Owners & Managers Association, and the Greater Austin Contractors & Engineers Association. This event is sponsored by Morrison & Head, LP