The inaugural North Country Matters Presents: Conversation with Candidates kicks off on Oct. 1 with two conversations.

The first conversation is with Assemblywoman Addie Russell, running again for her seat in the 118th Assembly district.

Recorded at the WCKN studio in the new Student Center at Clarkson University, Russell sat down to discuss issues with three district citizens, Sue Rice, Potsdam, of the Good Neighbor Network; Karen Carr, president of the Jefferson County AAUW from Watertown; and Sue Cypert, Canton, with the St. Lawrence County League of Women Voters.

The second Conversation is with Dan Parker, a candidate for District 11 on the St. Lawrence County Legislature. He sat down with three West Stockholm residents, Robin McClellan, Natalia Stahl and Bob Jewett, to talk about the race, the issues and the concerns of the residents of the district.

The Conversations to be taped on Oct. 8 include candidate Brett Grandaw for St. Lawrence County Coroner and Mike Morgan, running for Canton Town Board.

The half-hour segments will be broadcast on a rotating basis between recording and Election Day, Nov. 2. In addition to WCKN, WPBS-TV Station in Watertown will broadcast the series.

There will be a total of 10 conversations taped and aired before Election Day. Any candidate for political office in the North Country willing to abide by the rules of civil society to discuss the issues of the day with your fellow citizens is welcome to inquire about the six remaining open dates. Two one-half hour Conversations a week are taped on Friday afternoons in the studios of WKCN, the public access station located at Clarkson University (cable channel 30). Open dates include Oct. 15, 22 and 29.

Interested candidates can contact Dan Dullea at the Center for Excellence in Communication at Clarkson University to get on the Conversations schedule. Call him at 315-268-6428 or e-mail ded@clarkson.edu. The dates will be filled on a first-come basis. Citizens interested in patricipatng on the panels may also contact Mr. Dullea.

The civic partners for the Conversations include AAUW-St. Lawrence County and AAUW-Jefferson County, the League of Women Voters of St. Lawrence County, North Country Public Radio (NCPR), the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, WPBS-TV, the North Country Region of NYS-PTA, and the Center for Excellence in Communication at Clarkson University. Other interested groups are invited to inquire about becoming partners.

The conversations are an exercise in civic and civil engagement to restore our political process, which has become dominated by big money, special interest organizations and the political parties who have swamped our system beneath a tidal wave of money, pressure, advertising, and political calculation designed to manipulate rather than inform voters, according to the AAUW.