District 47 Candidate Forum set for March 21

The Cheyenne County Farm Bureau will hold a candidate forum for District 47 legislative candidates on March 21.

The forum will be held at the Buffalo Point Steakhouse, located 638 Cabela Dr. in Sidney. Candidates will be present at 1 p.m. for the public to visit with, and the forum will start at 1:30 p.m. The forum is free and open to the public.

According to a press release, the goal of the event is to provide as much information as possible about those running for Legislative District 47, so the public can make informed decisions on issues critical to their businesses and their daily lives. The District 47 legislative seat is now held by State Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, who is term limited from running for re-election.

There are four candidates for the seat. They are:

• Karl Elmshaeuser of Ogallala, who is the executive director for the West Central Nebraska Development District, which helps communities in 18 counties seek economic development and public infrastructure grants.

• Steve Erdman of Bayard, who is the father of former Sen. Phil Erdman and has farmed in Morrill County for more than 40 years. He has served on several cooperative boards for the last 34 years and is currently a Morrill County Commissioner.

• Dr. Wendall Gaston of Sidney, who is a three term former mayor and long-time pharmacist in Sidney. Gaston is currently serving his fourth term on the Sidney City Council and has been involved in numerous local, state and national organizations.

• Peggy Popps of Sidney, who is a coordinator for the Region 21 Emergency Management CERT program. She has worked in the corporate office at Cabela’s, Inc., in both marketing and retail operations and was a law enforcement officer for the City of Sidney.

Each candidate present will make opening remarks, then respond to written questions from the audience. The forum will last 90 minutes.