Voters will have the chance to find out more about the Richmond Hill City Council candidates’ plans for the city and the countywide penny tax at 6 p.m. Thursday during a candidate forum at the Richmond Hill City Center.
The free event, hosted by the Richmond Hill-Bryan County Chamber of Commerce, will allow residents to submit questions for Post 3 candidate John Fesperman and Post 4 candidate Jan Bass.
Post 3 incumbent Jimmy Hires and Post 4 incumbent Marilyn Hodges will not be at the forum due to scheduling conflicts, according to chamber director Brianne Yontz.
She noted that Hodges and Hires were offered the opportunity to send a representative to speak on their behalf and are welcome to have brochures and other campaign information at the event.
“We’re going to give the candidates an introduction and give them a few minutes to state their platform, and then we’ll have questions done by a moderator,” Yontz said.
Each candidate will have a one- to two-minute response time, she said, to be respectful of everyone’s time.
Also at the forum, Ray Pittman, the chairman of the Bryan County SPLOST Advisory Committee, will be on hand to present information about the countywide special purpose local option sales tax election.
“We just think it’s a good idea because people need to be informed about who the candidates are and about the SPLOST as well,” Yontz said.
Early voting for both the municipal elections in Richmond Hill and Pembroke and the countywide special election for SPLOST are ongoing from 8a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday until Nov. 4. Richmond Hill voters can cast ballots at the John. W. Stevens Wetlands Education Center in J.F. Gregory Park; Pembroke voters can go to City Hall; and countywide voters can go to the Voter Registration Office at the courthouse in Pembroke or the County Administrative Complex in Richmond Hill.
For more information about the forum, visit www.RHBCchamber.org or contact Yontz at 756-3444 or byontz@rhbcchamber.org.