'Meet the Candidates' set for March 22

The Community In Action  of Philadelphia/Neshoba County is sponsoring a “Meet the Candidates” event on March 22 at Westside Park.

The program will begin at 5 p.m. with a welcome and opening prayer, followed by an explanation of the evening’s format.

C.I.A. organizers said that no disrespectful speech, cursing, or yelling will be tolerated. Each candidate will have three minutes to introduce themselves before a timer signals the end of their time.

Candidates will speak in the following order: Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 4, Alderman-at-Large, and Mayor.

The order of candidates within each race will be determined by a random drawing, and they will be seated on stage accordingly.

All questions will come from the audience, with each person allowed to ask only one question. A drawing will determine the first audience member to speak.

Candidates will have one minute to respond to each question. If a candidate feels they need more time to answer, they will have to follow up with the audience member after the event if both parties agree.

If a candidate disagrees with something another candidate says about them, they will have to wait for their turn to respond or address it at another time.

Each time a question is asked, all candidates will have the option to respond or pass. They are not required to answer every question.

If an audience member has additional questions, they must go to the back of the line, and if time permits, they may have another opportunity to ask.

The municipal primary election is scheduled for April 1. The general election will take place on June 3, with a voter registration deadline of May 5.

Candidates in the race for municipal seats are as follows:

Ward 1—Avia J. Jackson, Cody Pilgrim, and Bert Turcotte; Ward 2—Bill Griffis and Mark Cheatham; Ward 3—Incumbent James A. Tatum Sr., Darnell Horne, Hunter Thrash, Kenneth L. “Kenny” Hillman, Brad Smith, and Phillip Smith; Ward 4—Incumbent Shaun Seales; Alderman-at-Large—Incumbent James Waltman, Zaus Kirkland, James Randy Adcock, and Ajatha M. Nichols; Mayor—Incumbent James A. Young, Leroy Clemons, Jim Fulton, and Cassie Henson Hickman.