Candidate forum update
We have received 100% commitment from the 16 community members that have filed for office for City of Darlington mayor and city council to appear in the upcoming City of Darlington Council and Mayoral Candidate Forum hosted by the News and Press on Thursday, October 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at the Harmon Baldwin Recreation Center (Darlington Recreation Department) at 300 Sanders Street.
Candidates for mayor:
• James “Jimmy” Cooper
• Gloria Cheeseboro Hines
• William M. Jackson
• Jim Stone
City council candidates: (3 at-large seats)
• Joan Alston
• Sheila Baccus
• Ronda Duke Brown
• Carolyn Bruce
• Linwood Epps
• Bryant Gardner
• John M. Milling
• Ouida K. Page
• Diane Sigmon
• Joyce Wingate Thomas
• John A. Wallace
• Beatrice Wilson
The election on November 3, 2015.
We would like to cordially invite the readers of the News and Press to join us at the event, and to help select the questions asked.
The event will be a time-managed forum moderated by Bill Rogers, Executive Director of the South Carolina Press Association. Mr. Rogers and our publisher, Morrey Thomas, will choose selections from the list of submitted questions from readers one hour prior to the event.
No one on the staff of the News & Press will know the questions ahead of time.
A timer will be available with lights to signify time remaining on the countdown clock.
The format for the event will be:
Council
• Each candidate will be allowed an opportunity to state their platform, intentions for running, and their goals for the City of Darlington. Note cards will be permissible; there will be a time limit of 2 minutes.
• Mr. Rogers will ask a list questions to the panel of city council candidates; each candidate will have a pre-determined response time to answer.
• Brief intermission
• The four mayoral candidates will introduce themselves, state their platform, their intentions for running for mayor, and their short and long term goals for Darlington. There will be a time limit of 2 minutes; note cards will be permissible.
• The mayoral candidates will then be asked a separate list questions, again with a pre-determined response time.
We feel this will be an excellent opportunity for candidates to share their goals and plans with the citizens of Darlington prior the election. We will publish their responses in our newspaper and website, and will videotape the event to be shown on our website.
If you have a question you would like to be asked at the Forum, please mail to:
The News & Press at P.O. Box 513, Darlington, S.C., 29532; email to editor@newsandpress.net; or call: 843-393-3811.
