In addition to the appearance by the two candidates, those attending the 6:30 p.m. event at the Veterans Memorial Park meeting hall have a chance to hear a special presentation on the Constitution.
The four-part forum series was planned in order to help voters make informed choices in the November election, which will climax races for sheriff and three seats on the Surry County Board of Commissioners.
In addition to seekers of those offices, the upcoming Tea Party forums will include candidates for N.C. General Assembly seats representing Surry County.
The format for the events reflects a conscious attempt to avoid candidates for the same office meeting head to head, according to Paula Stanley of Pilot Mountain, a Surry Tea Party Patriots member involved in organizing them.
Rather than possibly trading verbal jabs with each other and going off on various tangents, Stanley has said that the forums will focus on the qualifications of each candidate and what they propose to do if elected.
Stanley said Wednesday that a maximum of 30 minutes will be devoted Monday night to each office-seeker, who will respond to prepared questions along with ones suggested by audience members when they arrive. Random questions won’t be permitted.
Atkinson is a Democrat seeking his second four-year term as sheriff. Harris, the other candidate to be featured at Monday’s event, is a Republican challenging South District Commissioner Jim Harrell.
The later forums, also to be held on Monday nights, are set for Sept. 13 and 27 and Oct. 11.
Dan Kiger, Atkinson’s GOP opponent, is scheduled to appear at the Sept. 13 gathering, while Harrell has not responded to numerous requests seeking his participation, Stanley said.
Democrat Bill Hamlin, incumbent Central District commissioner, has declined to attend one of the forums, as has Randy Wolfe, a Democrat seeking to unseat Rep. Sarah Stevens in her bid for a second term in the state Legislature.
Since the forum series was first announced earlier this month, state Senate candidate Ric Marshall has indicated his intentions to attend the Sept. 27 event.
Stanley stressed again Wednesday that the Tea Party is not allied with candidates of either party and seeks to be fair to office-seekers and voters of all political persuasions.
Talk On Constitution
After the candidates’ portion of Monday’s forum is concluded, which Stanley estimates will be around 8 p.m., Scott Cumbie is scheduled to give a short presentation on the U.S. Constitution.
Cumbie recently delivered the same talk during a meeting of the Stokes County Tea Party Patriots in King, which Stanley said was well-received.
The local Tea Party is an offshoot of the national grassroots movement that sprang from concerns about governmental spending and other issues.
Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.
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