Mirror staff has been bustling behind the scenes over the past couple of weeks planning our coverage for November’s general election.

As always, we endeavor to offer our readers the most comprehensive election coverage possible that highlights each of the candidates running for local office, as well as the local ballot measures that will impact Federal Way residents.

The biggest news with this effort is that we will host a candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club. This event is free and open to the public.

We have invited all of the candidates running for contested seats on the Federal Way Public Schools Board to attend. This includes incumbent Jennifer Jones and challenger Elizabeth Carlson for Pos. 2, and incumbent Luckisha Phillips and challenger Tenya Magruder for Pos. 3.

In addition, the forum will feature all six of the candidates running for contested seats on the Federal Way City Council. This includes incumbent Susan Honda and challenger Sharry Edwards for Pos. 3; incumbent Mark Koppang and challenger Jamila Taylor for Pos. 5; and Linda Kochmar and Tony Pagliocco for Pos. 7.

So far, all six of the council candidates have committed to attend the event, where voters will have the opportunity to hear opening and closing statements from each candidate, as well as hear candidates sound off on key issues facing the school district and city. Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit their questions during the event. Mirror staff will ask as many questions as time allows. We hope to see you there.

Speaking of asking candidates questions that are important to you, we are expanding your opportunity to do so this year with a new “Ask the Candidates” feature that we will publish weekly leading up to the general election, starting next week. Do you have a specific question you would like to ask one or more of the candidates? Please email us at editor@federalwaymirror.com with your questions and we will reach out to candidates for their answers.

Another new feature we are bringing to our readers this year is that we will be interviewing individual candidates for the school board and council via video that we will share on our website for you to view. We will also share candidates’ responses in our print edition.

Other election coverage you can expect to see in the coming months includes profiles of the candidates running for Lakehaven Water and Sewer District Positions 2 and 4; a look into what bringing marijuana retail to Federal Way could mean for residents, an in-depth look at the Stable Housing initiative, coverage of the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce forum on Oct. 2, and fact checking candidates’ claims, including those made in their campaign material.

We look forward to bringing you the most extensive coverage of our local candidates and issues that you won’t find anywhere else. We encourage you to participate by sending us your questions that will help guide Mirror staff in our election coverage as we seek to find out the answers to issues most important to you.