A pair of candidate forums this weekend will allow residents a few last chances to hear from candidates before Tuesday’s Democratic primary election.
The first event is the Mad Hatter’s Tea Derby, set for 3-5 p.m. Saturday at the Hunt Museum. The Memphistown Community Builders and Federation of Democratic Women are hosting the event.
Tiffany Sturdivant, who is involved with both organizations, said the derby’s first hour will be a meet-and-greet to allow residents to talk with candidates one-on-one. A more formal, one-hour question-and-answer session will follow.
Sturdivant said the choice should help differentiate the event from the multitude of other forums that have been held in the last two weeks.
“What I found is that a lot of these forums haven’t been well-attended,” she said. “Some people are shy about asking questions in an open crowd. This just gives a chance to really get to know the candidate yourself in a relaxed environment where you’re really not rushed for time.”
Saturday’s event will feature candidates from the mayoral race and all the council races. Sturdivant said every candidate, except Fredrick Jackson who’s running in Ward 4, has confirmed they will attend.
She said organizers will also provide refreshments and there will be live entertainment, provided by Tupelo attorney Walter Zinn.
The question-and-answer session in the second hour, moderated by The Dispatch’s Managing Editor Zack Plair, will feature questions straight from the audience, Sturdivant said.
“These questions are going to come directly from the audience,” she said. “They’re not screened; we’re not going to do anything to convolute what they’re trying to say. They’ll be asked straight to the candidates.”
Sunday’s event
The Southside-Downtown neighborhood group will host a separate forum from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday. The forum will be held at 208 Fifth St. S., between Broussard’s and Jamie’s Salon.
Julie Parker, a member of the group, said the forum will be for Ward 4 and Ward 5 council candidates. She said all candidates have confirmed their attendance.
Those candidates include the four Democrats running for Ward 4 — incumbent Marty Turner, Pierre Beard, Lavonne Latham-Harris and Jackson — as well as Democrats Stephen Jones (incumbent) and Gary Jefferson and Republican Mark Ward in Ward 5.
Parker said the forum will allow candidates a chance to lay out their platforms, and will let residents ask questions. She said organizers are working to secure a moderator, but the event will likely not be “overly formalized.”
“We’ve encouraged people to come with their questions,” Parker said. “They can ask questions or have someone ask for them if they’re not comfortable doing it.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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