The Upstate New York Tea (UNYTEA) party will be hosting a Candidates Forum on March 25th in Plattsburgh. (Westside Ball Room, 253 New York Avenue, former PAFB, 7 pm, SHARP)

All four "unannounced" Candidates for the GOP nod to run against incumbent Congressman Bill Owens have agreed to attend. They include Franklin County Legislator Paul Maroun, Matt Doheny, a former Wall Street executive from Alexandria Bay, Will Barclay, a NYS Assemblyman from Pulaski, and Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate for congress who narrowly lost to Owens in the November 2009 special election.

UNYTEA Party Chairman Mark L Barie, predicted a large turnout for the event, saying, “Any one of these candidates has the potential to defeat Bill Owens in the 2010 elections. They are all fiscal conservatives, they are all opposed to the trillion dollar health care bill which Bill Owens supported, and they are opposed to the tax and spend policies of the current administration.”

The candidates will be asked to respond to written questions from the audience.  There will also be opening and closing statements. Barie, who will serve as the moderator, views the event as an opportunity for local voters to become more familiar with the candidates.

“This is not a choreographed event”, said Barie, adding, “ It is an excellent opportunity for our members and for the public at large to see each of these individuals in action, thinking on their feet, and responding directly to our concerns”.

UNYTEA is a grass roots organization of local voters whose mission is to advocate at the federal level, for lower taxes, less spending, and limited government. They are not formally affiliated with any political party or any other tea party group.