The Ames Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters sponsored a state political candidate forum Monday evening in the City Council Chambers of City Hall.

Six candidates attended the forum, including Johnie Hammond (D) and Norm Luiken (R), candidates for Iowa Senate District 31; Cecelia Burnett (D), candidate for District 61; and Gentry Collins (R), Howard Hammond (Ref) and Dennis Parmenter (D), candidates for District 62.

The televised forum consisted of a three-person panel asking the candidates a variety of questions. Toward the end of the forum, questions were taken from audience members, and call-in questions were taken from viewers.

“I don’t think the Republican candidates had very meaningful, substantive responses to the questions — probably a deliberate effort to hide their agenda,” Johnie Hammond said.

Luiken disagreed with Hammond’s statement.

“I believe we articulated what we wanted to … quite well,” he said.

The forum was not a debate, and candidates were only allowed to answer the panel’s questions with no time allotted for rebuttals.

“I think it went very neutral for everybody — it wasn’t a home run for anybody or a foul ball for anybody,” Luiken said. “A forum is built to be more informational than confrontational.”

In their opening statements, the candidates were given three minutes to deliver a brief outline of what topics they would like to tackle if elected.

All six seemed to focus on three major issues: education, taxes and the environment.

“My opponent was so meaningless, I can’t even remember what he said,” Johnie Hammond said. “Why didn’t he use that time to tell us the issues he feels are meaningful to Iowa?”

Luiken felt Hammond didn’t say much of anything with relevant meaning either.

“The two democratic incumbents talked about issues they’d like to support, but didn’t talk about issues that are controversial to voters,” he said.

Panel questions dealt with a variety of subjects ranging from the technological advancement of Iowa to property taxes.

Another topic of discussion was the current methamphetamine crisis.

The audience, consisting predominantly of senior citizens, brought up topics such as inheritance taxes and the negative effects of large hog lot confinements.

One audience member requested that each candidate specify his or her position on abortion.

Each of the Democratic candidates held a pro-choice view, and the Republican candidates all stood on the pro-life side.

Reform candidate Howard Hammond did not comment on the issue.

He said he wished to give up his time in order to speed up the proceedings.

After two hours of discussion, the forum closed with each candidate using his or her final three minutes to state his or her concluding opinions and tie up any loose ends.

The forum will be rebroadcast several times on the City of Ames cable channel 7 for those who wish to view it.