Though they might not yet be of voting age, a group of teenagers was able to get a roomful of municipal candidates talking about resolutions they would pass to fight federal legislation.
Pa'lante - a nonprofit organization for Hispanic youth - hosted a forum Friday for candidates in the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen races.
The teens asked the candidates questions and will be writing an article about the forum for their Spanish-language publication.
The forum began casually with introductions from each candidate present, followed by a question from Argenis Dominguez, a student at Chapel Hill High School.
He asked the candidates if they would support providing more funding for Pa'lante or if they would push for a facility for teens such as a paint ball park.
Robin Cutson, a council candidate, told Dominguez that while she would support allocating more money to programs such as Pa'lante, paint ball was probably out of the question. "We probably can't do paint ball, and you probably knew that," she said.
Most candidates agreed that though they couldn't promise paint ball, they did want to support the area's youth. "I think if we invest in our youth - particularly our Hispanic youth - it's going to come back to us," said David Marshall, an alderman candidate.
But as the questions turned from local to federal issues, the differences in the candidates became more apparent.
The candidates were asked if they would agree to pass resolutions opposing federal legislation that has made it harder for immigrants to attain driver's licenses, and a bill that would require police to ask for immigrants' documents when responding to calls.
