Candidates for Starkville aldermen will answer questions posed by students, faculty and the rest of the Starkville community Wednesday night.
The meeting will take place in The Union Ballroom from 6 to 9 p.m., Student Association governmental affairs committee head Simon Bailey said. The debates will occur in three segments divided among Starkville’s seven wards, with each segment lasting one hour.
Candidates running in wards seven and two will speak first. Next, candidates running in wards one and four will speak, followed by candidates running in wards three, five and six.
Outgoing SA president Adam Telle said students should attend the meeting. “Every opportunity students have to show their interest in the community further solidifies students’ position in it,” he said. “The person who’s elected is the person the students can hold accountable for the next four years.”
Bailey said the meeting will have the feel of a debate in some ways but will not technically be a debate. “I’m hoping the nature of the event will be less adversarial than what most people think of when they think of a debate.”
Candidates will have the opportunity to make opening statements and closing statements. In between, a moderator will ask questions of the candidates.
Anybody can submit a question for the candidates to the SA office until the time of the debate, Bailey said. “We are accepting questions in the SA office and screening them to determine appropriateness.”
He said he was not yet sure how many candidates plan on participating, but he had RSVPs from a lot of them. “We anticipate a real good turnout.”
Thomas Gregory said the Stennis-Montgomery Association, of which he’s president, plans to help sponsor the events.
Gregory said it’s important for students to get involved in local politics. “After all, they spend four years or more of their lives in Starkville.” He added that Starkville owes a lot to students.
The SA will host a similar meeting for mayoral candidates April 18.