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A local group has organized a forum for city council candidates, to be held at 7 p.m. tonight at Cowerks on Lake Avenue.

Candidates from the A-Team and One Asbury tickets have confirmed they will attend, and most other council candidates were invited, said Bret Morgan [pictured, left], organizer and co-owner of Cowerks.

At “A Night with the Candidates,” attendees will learn about important election issues, hear from the candidates, have the opportunity to ask the candidates their own questions, and will be able to register to vote if they haven’t yet.

Wine, beer and snacks will be provided. The event will take place at the new Lake House building, at 619 Lake Ave., on the third floor.

Morgan organized the event with Kerry Thompson and Danny Croak [pictured, right], co-owner of Cowekrs, he said. Thompson wanted to put the event together, and Morgan and Croak donated the Cowerks space.

“We’re trying to get everybody in one room,” Morgan said today. “It will be really informal.”

In this year’s election, all five council seats are up for grabs. Twenty-two candidates are running for four-year terms on the dais. The election is May 14.

“I think this election is going to dictate the next five years in the city,” Morgan said. “The city has gotten to a certain point, but there are a lot of decisions that need to be made … This is probably the most important election in years for Asbury.”

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[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that all council candidates had been invited to the forum. In fact, several candidates were not invited. The story has been corrected to reflect this. The Asbury Park Sun regrets this error.]

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