Residents of Foley will soon have the chance to hear from City Council candidates at a public forum. The event, open for everyone interested in the city’s leadership, will let voters hear from those running in Foley’s upcoming municipal election. The forum is designed to help voters learn what each candidate stands for and how they plan to address the city’s issues. City officials say the forum will offer each candidate a fair opportunity to present their ideas.

The candidate forum is scheduled for August 14 at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Foley Civic Center. This event comes ahead of the Foley municipal election, which is set for August 26. The South Baldwin Common Sense Campaign is organizing the forum in hopes of encouraging a better understanding of local government among residents.

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Candidates running for contested City Council seats will each have three minutes at the start to introduce themselves. For each question asked by a moderator, they will have 90 seconds to answer, and, for follow-up questions, 30 seconds each. Every candidate will also get 90 seconds at the end for closing remarks. Audience members are asked not to applaud or make other noises during the forum, to keep the focus on the speakers.

Four out of five City Council seats in Foley are being contested, meaning at least two people are running for each of those positions. In District 1, current council member Wayne Trawick is facing Barry Hughes. The District 2 race includes incumbent Vera Quaites, Timothy “Tim” Lower, and Donald Barnett. Larry Engel and Phillip Hinesley are both seeking the District 4 seat, as incumbent Rick Blackwell is stepping down. District 5 voters will choose between incumbent Charles Ebert III and Derrick Perdue.

Only one district does not have a contest this year. District 3 has just one candidate, Roddy Burkle, because the current council member, Richard Dayton, is leaving the job for health reasons. Mayor Ralph Hellmich is also running unopposed.

Candidates for the council are elected by the residents of the district they aim to represent. Both the mayor and council members serve four-year terms. Anyone unsure of which district they live in or looking for more information about the election can visit the city’s website for guidance.