Starkville voters will get a chance to hear the city’s three mayoral candidates lay out their platforms during a 7 p.m. public forum Monday at the Greensboro Center.
The event, which Starkville Daily News Editor Ryan Phillips will moderate, will feature Democrats Johnny Moore, Damion Poe and Lynn Spruill.
Philips said the forum will feature a direct question-and-answer format in which the candidates will respond to questions developed by the newspaper and those presented by attendees.
“These are broad questions that will give the candidates the chance to show off their personalities. There are no ‘gotcha questions,’ and the candidates will be able to voice their platforms,” he said. “We hope everyone can come out and participate in the event.”
May’s three-way Democratic Primary will decide Starkville’s the mayor’s race after no Republicans or independents qualified earlier this month.
Moore, 56, has practice law in Starkville for three decades and owns Moore Law Office. He is a Mississippi State University graduate and went on to receive his law degree from the University of Mississippi.
Poe, 26, is a Sitel human resources recruiter who previously served in a human resources capacity with the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Spruill, 64, served as Starkville’s chief administrative officer under the administrations of Mayor Parker Wiseman and former Mayor Dan Camp. She also served as the mayor of Addison, Texas, from 1988-93.
A runoff election will be held May 16 if a candidate fails to get more than 50 percent of the vote.
Wiseman will step down as mayor June 30 when his term expired. He decided against seeking a third term last year, and he and his wife, Lindsey, recently had their third child.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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