Web site features council candidates

OREM — Orem residents now have pages of information at their finger tips about candidates vying for one of three city council seats.

At www.southwestalliance.org, residents can scroll through short candidate biographies, as well as lengthy responses to questions posed by the Southwest Alliance, a non-profit neighborhood organization.

"(We want) to draw them out and make this exercise more than just a beauty contest or who has the greatest name recognition in the public," said Dave Washburn, president of the Southwest Alliance.

And with 12 candidates, learning about each person's platform to make an educated decision can be daunting, Washburn said.

So, rather than sit through lengthy meet-the-candidates night, where time constraints prevent thorough answers on every topic, scanning a Web site is a good solution, Washburn said.

"A reader now has the convenience of sitting down and digesting (information) at (their) convenience," Washburn said. "And there's no limit on seating."

The primary election is Sept. 11. The general election is Nov. 6.