The venue has been reserved and a moderator has been chosen, but so far only one candidate has confirmed the Feb. 28 date for the Friends of the Kilgore Public Library Candidate Forum.

District 7 Representative David Simpson said this week, via his campaign staff, that he will attend the forum, scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 in the Kilgore High School Auditorium.

Simpson has already met his predecessor and opponent, former District 7 representative Tommy Merritt, in one forum this month in Longview – both are seeking the GOP nomination for the office in the November 2012 race.

With the actual date of the Democratic and Republican primary elections in limbo due to legal challenges against the legislature's redistricting maps, Merritt Communications Director Meredith Merritt said her father wants to attend the candidate forum, but the campaign cannot yet give an exact answer.

"We'd love to speak to the group, and we're making sure we can get it on the schedule. A lot of the dates for the proposed forums are tentative since the primary dates have been moved and could be moved again," she said. "That's why we've not set the schedule yet.

"From my perspective, it's on the election. I know everybody wants to get them scheduled, and we do too. It will depend on when the election date is."

The Friends of the Library group is handling the details of the forum, Kilgore Public Library Director Linda Johnson said, which helps fulfill the library's mission to promote education and information.

"I think it's important for the public to be able to question or to hear both candidates.

You've got to have these meetings to have an educated voter," she said. "I think it's one of our responsibilities to offer things that educate the public. And if we need to be educated on anything, it's our candidates."

Kilgore News Herald Publisher Bill Woodall accepted the group's request that he serve as moderator for the two-hour question-and-answer event.

Woodall said he's always disappointed by the redistricting fight that follows the census, and he's eager to see it resolved quickly.

"I understand the rules, I understand the goals, but somehow it always disappoints me that we wind up in a bitter political argument over minority representation," he said. "I hope, genuinely hope, this can be resolved in the next week or so and we can get on with this election. We have really important issues that need to be addressed.

"I'm hopeful that both campaigns are able to make this fit their schedules. I know Kilgore and Liberty City would very much like the opportunity to get to know a little bit more about Simpson and to reacquaint themselves with Tommy Merritt."