The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, along with The Columbia County News-Times and WRDW-TV News 12, will host a Candidates Forum for the Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chair race, along with Commissioners for District 1 and District 4, and the Board of Education’s District 3.
 
The forum, which is free and open to the public, is set for Monday, April 30 at the Columbia County Library/Jabez S. Hardin Performing Arts Center. A meet and greet for the candidates will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the forum slated to kick off at 6:00 p.m.
 
Joe Hotchkiss, Editor of the News-Times, Brandon Haddock, Chair of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee, and WRDW-TV News 12 morning anchor Meredith Anderson will moderate the panel. Each candidate will have one minute to make an opening statement. Following questions to the panel, each candidate will be allowed one minute to make closing remarks.
 
Candidates for the Board of Education District 3 race will be first, followed by the candidates for County Commissioner District 1 and District 4, with the County Commission Chair candidates closing the forum.
 
Candidates scheduled to appear include: Doug Duncan, Mark Herbert and Pam Tucker for Chair of the County Commission; Hafeez Chaudhry and Connie Melear for County Commissioner, District 1; Dewey Galeas, Charles Johnson and Lee Muns for County Commissioner, District 4; and George Bratcher, Andrew Kemp and Judy Teasley for Board of Education, District 3.
 
If time permits, written questions from the audience may be asked.