Poplarville residents will have a chance to get to know the candidates for mayor and the Board of Aldermen at a candidate forum on March 20.

The forum will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the City Park gazebo. Candidates will speak on their platforms and mayoral candidates will answer questions from citizens.

Laurie Jaufre is hosting the event and looking for volunteers to help out that day. Jaufre resides outside of Poplarville’s city limits, so cannot vote in the election, but has an interest in the city because she shops locally and owns some property within the city. Jaufre said she wanted to give residents an opportunity to hear ideas from the candidates before the election.

“Share the event with your friends and neighbors. Have a voice, be heard. Now’s your opportunity to have a voice. Let the candidates know what you’re hoping for,” said Jaufre.

All candidates are invited to participate in the forum. So far, all three mayoral candidates plan to be at the event. Jaufre is still reaching out to candidates running for each alderman position.

Candidates running for an alderman position will be able to speak for three minutes, followed by mayoral candidates, who will have three to five minutes to share their platform. Then the floor will be opened up to residents to share their ideas and suggestions.

The event will be informal. The park has restrooms. Jaufre said she is not sure how many people will be interested in attending, but attendees might want to bring their own chair.
Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the forum can contact Jaufre through Facebook or email ljaufre@yahoo.com.

The primary election will be April 6 and the general election will be June 8. Winning candidates will take office in July. Voters must be registered by March 8 to vote in the primary or by May 10 to vote in the general election.