The Legislative Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce will host two candidates’ forums next week to allow the Troy and Brundidge residents to ask candidates about their platforms.

Instead of having all of the candidates at one forum like at the NAACP’s forum earlier this month, there will be one forum held at Brundidge station for Brundidge candidates and one at the Square for Troy candidates.

Donna Horn, chairman of the Legislative Committee, described how the forum will proceed.

“From 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be a table with forms and pencils for audience members to fill out their questions to the candidates,” Horn said. “The moderator will then direct the questions to the candidates, after determining whether it’s appropriate.”

Whether those questions go to just one candidate or to all the candidates in a specific race depends on what the question is, Horn said.

“It just depends on whoever is asking the question would like to frame it,” Horn said. “Let’s just say we had an incumbent. Someone might ask the other candidate what he or she would do differently. Or they might ask all the candidates something like ‘What would you do to attract new business to our district?’”

In addition to answering questions, each candidate will be allowed to speak for a set amount of time for opening and closing remarks.

Both forums are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.

Although Brundidge candidates were invited to the NAACP forum at the Pike County Courthouse, only four participated. This forum will be much closer for Brundidge candidates and residents to attend.

In addition to Brundidge candidates, two Pike County Commission candidates have been invited to the Brundidge forum.

The Brundidge forum will be co-hosted by Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library.

The Troy candidates were all present for the last forum, but they’ll get another chance to clarify their platforms at this forum, which will be held on Thursday, August 18.

Unopposed candidates will also have a chance to speak briefly at each forum, even though there is nothing for voters to decide in regards to them.

“In Troy and Brundidge we have so much competition that the voters need to come out and listen firsthand to what these candidates have to say,” Horn said. “We encourage everybody to come out and ask questions and make an intelligent informed decision on who they vote for.”