Isle of Wight voters will have the opportunity to meet and ask questions of candidates running for county offices in two scheduled forums. The first, on Monday, Sept. 28, features candidates for sheriff, school board and commonwealth’s attorney.

The second is scheduled for Oct. 5. Both will be held at The Smithfield Center.

Doors open at 5:45 p.m. for residents and candidates to meet and enjoy refreshments and live music. The moderated forums, led by The Smithfield Times Editor and Publisher John Edwards, begin at 7 p.m. {mprestriction ids=”1,2,3,4,5,6″}

Candidates include incumbent Sheriff Mark Marshall and challenger J. Russell Stephenson; Alvin Wilson and JoAnn West Hall for school board (Hardy District), Victoria Hulick and Kimberly Winget for school board (Newport District), Denise Tynes and Kirstin K. Cook for school board (Smithfield District) and Georgette C. Phillips and Jennifer Stanton for commonwealth’s attorney.

During the moderated forums each candidate will have three minutes to make a statement about their candidacy. Audience members may write their questions on three-by-five index cards, which will be taken up to the moderator.

The moderator will organize the cards and ask questions of appropriate candidates. Candidates will have one to one and a half minutes to answer each question.

Other candidates running with opposition and candidates running unopposed will attend the Oct. 5 forum and include Albert P. Burckard Jr. and William McCarty for board of supervisors (Newport District), R. L. “Dick” Grice and Lawrence Pitt for board of supervisors (Smithfield District), Delores C. “Dee Dee” Darden and Joel Acree for board of supervisors (Windsor District), Sharon Nelms Jones running unopposed for clerk of circuit court, Judith C. Wells running unopposed for treasurer, and Gerald Gwaltney running unopposed for commissioner of revenue.

The Isle of Wight Citizens’ Association and the Carrollton Civic League have partnered to organize and sponsor the forums so that voting residents of Isle of Wight County will be better prepared for the elections on Nov. 3. {/mprestriction}