In advance of the August 8 primary election for local and state offices, officials from the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce are set to host a candidates’ forum that will allow residents to meet the individuals running for office, as well as to give candidates the opportunity to answer questions and speak about their platforms.
In order to give all candidates equal time, the forum will be held across two evenings – from 5-8 p.m. July 10 and 11 at Petal Civic Center, 712A South Main Street in Petal. The forum will feature candidates for office in Petal, as well as those from Forrest County whose positions affect the city.
“National politics are exciting, but local politics is what truly affects us the most – what goes on right around us in our city, in our communities and our county,” said Valerie Wilson, executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce. “So we believe it’s very important for people to know who they’re putting into office, and who’s making the decisions that are going to affect us directly and immediately.
“It’s also a great opportunity to get to know the people that we put into office. We’re in a small enough community where we can actually visit with, and talk to, our political representatives, and I think that’s very important, that you have a connection with the people that are forming our communities.”
The lineup of possible candidates is as follows:
MONDAY, JULY 10
- Forrest County District 3 Supervisor: Burkett Ross (R), Steve Stringer (R)
- State Representative, District 104: Larry Byrd (R), Blake Nobles (R)
- Forrest County Tax Collector: Malcom Berch (R), David Hogan (R), Zac Howell (R)
- Forrest County Circuit Clerk: David Breland (R, not expected to attend), Gwen Wilks (R, not expected to attend)
- Forrest County Coroner: Elizabeth Broome (R), Greg Fluker (D, not expected to attend), Lisa Klem (R)
- Forrest County Sheriff: Kenny Johnson (not expected to attend), Charlie Sims (R)
TUESDAY, JULY 11
- Forrest County District 2 Supervisor: Sheila Angelety (D, not expected to attend), Gerald Steele (R), Sharon Thompson (D)
- State Senator, District 42: Don Hartness (R), Robin Robinson (R)
- Forrest County Tax Assessor: Cayla Camp Burns (R), Chip Brown (I), Mary Ann Palmer (R)
- Justice Court Judge: Brenda Roberts (D), Wes Curry (R), Zach Vaughn (R)
- Forrest County Prosecutor: Jack Denton (R), Mary Lee Holmes (R)
Each candidate will be given two minutes for an opening statement. A timer will go off twice: when candidates have one minute left to speak, and again at 30 seconds left to speak.
A forum committee has prepared questions for the event’s moderators, none of which have been provided in advance to the candidates. The moderator will direct those questions to the candidates, who will have one minute to answer; a warning will be given at 30 seconds in.
Audience members will be allowed to submit questions on index cards, which will be screened for relevance and to prevent duplication. Personal questions or “attacks” will not be acknowledged.
If there are not enough audience questions, the moderator will have questions on hand for the candidates. All other candidates may be able to respond if they so desire.
If a question is directed to all candidates, each candidate will have up to one minute to respond, with the order taken at random. Each candidate will be given two minutes for closing statements.
A table in the back of the room will be provided for candidates’ marketing materials.
“Following the forums, we’ll have a little bit of time for people to meet and greet, and get campaign materials, from the candidates,” Wilson said.
If any candidate in the primary election fails to receive the necessary 50 percent of the vote plus one vote, a runoff election will be held on August 29. The primary election will be held on November 7.
Wilson said so far, she has had a great response from candidates who wish to participate in the forum.
“That’s why we had to divide it into two separate nights,” she said. “It would have just been a marathon if we tried to have them all on the same evening, so we split them up into different races.
“Of course, everybody’s welcome and invited to come both nights to hear all the candidates, but if there’s one particular office that they’re interested in, then they can choose what night they need to come hear about that office.”