There is no dearth of opportunities for area residents to mingle with candidates in the coming weeks.

First up is the Kosciusko County Republican Fish Fry, which will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in Warsaw.

Republican U.S. Senate, U.S. House, legislative, county and township candidates are expected to attend and will be servers.

The price is $8 for adults and $5 for children.

“No speeches, just great fish and fun,” the organizers tout.

Also coming up April 12 is the Northside Neighborhood Association’s candidate forum.

The event starts at 6 p.m. at North Side High School, and the organizers have invited candidates running for numerous offices.

The event, in conjunction with the city’s four neighborhood partnerships, has traditionally been a large draw for candidates and is free to the public.

The New Haven Republican Central Committee will host its candidates’ night April 14 at the Park Hill Learning Center Auditorium, 100 Prospect Ave.

The event promises to feature four of the Republican senatorial candidates – Dan Coats had a scheduling conflict – plus many local candidates. The free event begins at 6 p.m. with the Senate forum starting at 7 p.m.

Hoosiers weigh in

Attorney General Greg Zoeller said he had never received as much communication from Hoosiers as he did on the issue of whether to join a lawsuit against the federal health care reform law.

That includes the eight years he spent in the office under former Attorney General Steve Carter.

“I do think this public interest is pretty remarkable,” Zoeller said, noting the outpouring of calls and e-mails.

Staffers estimated 500 calls came in over just a few days, with the majority urging Zoeller to sue.

But Zoeller said he had already decided to pursue a challenge and was not swayed by the calls.

Vote backtrack

City Councilwoman Karen Goldner, D-2nd, last week tried to reverse a decision the Allen County Solid Waste District board made in January.

The January change restricts the district’s recycling incentives to entities that also dispose of their waste at the county landfill.

Making Goldner’s move slightly odd is the fact she supported that change in January.

She blamed the decision on being new to the board – January was her first meeting – and noted it passed unanimously so her support was irrelevant.

She said she started thinking about the decision later and realized it was not the right thing to do.

Goldner will be working with other members to support the repeal of the change.

Register by Monday

Pundits are predicting the 2010 midterm elections could be critical nationally, and there are plenty of hot races locally.

So we at Political Notebook remind readers to make sure they can participate by registering to vote. Deadline to register for the May 4 primary is Monday.

The Allen County Board of Voter Registration will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow people to sign up. Mailed-in registration forms must be postmarked by Monday.

For those already registered, Monday also marks the first day of voting in the primary.

Residents can vote at the Allen County Election Board from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Both election offices are on the first floor of the City-County Building.