The Forrest City Times-Herald
is planning to host a pair of
nonpartisan political forums in
the coming weeks, giving St.
Francis County voters an
opportunity to hear directly from
candidates in contested county
and city races ahead of the
November election.
The first forum will be held
Thursday, Aug. 27, and will feature
candidates for St. Francis County
Sheriff and Collector and SFC
Clerk.
A second forum, scheduled for
Thursday, Sept. 3, will feature the
candidates for mayor of Forrest
City.
Both forums will be held from
6 to 8 p.m., at the Forrest City
Civic Center and are free and
open to the public.
“The goal of these forums is
simply to give voters another
opportunity to learn about the
people asking to represent them,”
said Hilary Trickey, event
organizer. “We want to provide a
fair, nonpartisan setting where
each candidate has the same
opportunity to introduce
themselves, discuss their platform
and answer questions about
issues affecting our community.”
Allan Calvert will serve as
moderator for both events.
“Mr. Calvert is an active
member of our community,” Trickey said. “He is president of the
Forrest City Mustang Booster Club
and pastor at ConnectPoint
Church.”
The forums will include a
moderator, timekeeper and panel
of local citizens who will ask
prepared questions of each
candidate. Candidates will also
have an opportunity to introduce
themselves and provide a brief
overview of their platforms.
Community members are also
invited to submit questions for
consideration. Questions may be
emailed to
publisher@thnews.com,
digital@thnews.com, dropped off
at the Times-Heraldoffice at 222 N.
Izard St. in Forrest City or
submitted before the start of the
event.
Questions submitted by the
public will be screened by Times
Herald staff before being
considered for the forum. The
screening process will help
combine similar questions, ensure
questions are relevant to the office
being sought and applicable to all
candidates in a particular race to
allow as many topics as possible to
be addressed during the allotted
time.
“We know there are a lot of
questions community members
would like to ask, and some of
those questions may be similar,”
Trickey said. “By screening the
questions, we can make sure they
are applicable to all of the
candidates and avoid repeating
the same topics. Our goal is to
cover as many issues and get as
many questions answered as we
can during the time we have.”
The Aug. 27 forum will include
the three candidates seeking the
office of St. Francis County sheriff
and collector, including
incumbent Sheriff Bobby May and
challengers Tommy Hampton and
Gil Brazeale.
Candidates for SFC Clerk are
incumbent Brandi McCoy and
Evetta Whitby.
The Sept. 3 forum will feature
the four candidates seeking the
office of Forrest City mayor, which
include Kendal Pettus, Cedric
Williams, Lowry Astin and D’Mari
Curne.
Volunteers from the Forrest City
Public Library will also be on hand
during both events with voter
registration applications for
residents who would like to register
to vote.
“Part of the role of a community
newspaper is helping keep people
informed,” Trickey said. “We cover
these races throughout the
election, but a forum gives voters
the opportunity to hear candidates
answer the same questions, in the
same room and learn more about
where they stand on local issues.”
The Times-Herald is
encouraging residents to attend the
forums, regardless of which
candidate they currently support
or whether they have made a
decision in the races.
Political forums to feature county, city candidates
