Forum for mayoral candidates Tuesday

The two candidates for mayor of Hartsville will meet in a forum and answer questions at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 in the auditorium of Davidson Hall on the campus of Coker College.

Pam Sansbury, former finance director for the city of Hartsville and a former member of Hartsville City Council, and Mel Pennington, businessman and vice chairman of the Hartsville Planning Commission, are running in the Nov. 3 municipal general election.

The forum is sponsored by Coker College and the Center for Research in Leadership and Community Development at Coker and co-sponsored by The Messenger.

Each candidate will present an opening statement. Dr. Jim Lemke of the Center for Leadership and Coker professor will moderate the forum. Following the opening statements, Lemke will lead off with some general questions for each candidate.

Written questions will be solicited from the audience, screened by Lemke and then asked of the candidates.

“We’re going to try to make sure it’s fair, that the questions are fair and the candidates get an equal number of questions,” Lemke said.

The forum is open to the public, and citizens are encouraged to attend.

Former Mayor Michael Holt resigned in August to take a seat on the state family court bench. Former Mayor Pro Tem David McFarland was sworn in as mayor shortly after Holt’s resignation and is serving the remainder of Holt’s term.

The new mayor will take office at the first regular council meeting after the election on Nov. 10.