Learn about candidates before casting votes in the next few weeks | Opinion – The Jackson Sun

As we continue our way through campaign season for the local primary elections on May 3, there are a few important dates to be aware of between now and then.

Monday, April 4, is the final day to register to vote to be able to vote the following month.

April 13 is the day early voting begins at the Madison County Election Commission (311 North Parkway), and that will be available April 13-28 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (except on April 15) and 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday.

But before all that, theres another important date to put on your calendar: April 7. Its on that day The Sun will partner with WNBJ and Jackson State Community College to host a mayoral forum in the McWherter Center on Jackson States campus (2046 North Parkway).

The forum will begin at 6:30 p.m. and be done by 8. WNBJs Christen Hyde and I will ask the candidates questions pertinent to the issues in Madison County.

All four candidates have been invited and have indicated they will be present.

If you can be there, feel free to join us. Weve got nearly 200 seats open for you. If you cant be there, the crew at WNBJ will be set up for a broadcast on Facebook Live on their page that well share on ours.

Well ask them about their concerns, plans, hopes and dreams for the county under their leadership.

Theyll be presented with questions pertinent to the job of mayor so dont expect questions related to abortion, the Second Amendment, marriage equality or any other national hot button issues.

Ive seen some comments on social media and heard about comments being made in verbal conversations on the campaign trail, and the voters need to learn about the races and the candidates. For one, this is a race for County Mayor. Scott Conger probably appreciates expressions of support he gets when any of the candidates speak or make social media posts about running for the position, but hes the Mayor of Jackson and isnt running for county mayor, so supporting Conger and supporting one of these candidates can happen from the same person.

The No. 1 thing that needs to happen before all of the elections the voters needs to be as knowledgeable as possible about the candidates, and this is a great opportunity to find out about the candidates looking to represent this county as its mayor.

While a county mayor doesnt have the almost unilateral power the Jackson Mayor does, it is a key role in the process of recruiting industries and other businesses, advocating for the county to state and sometimes federal leadership and is in constant discussion with the county commissioners, who are the ones that ultimately make important decisions for the county as at least 13 of the 25 of its members have to agree with anything the mayor wants to do.

And with Madison County and all of rural West Tennessee being on the cusp of potentially the most important time in local history with an apparently obvious opportunity for prosperity, having the right people in the right positions of leadership is essential to the area living up to that potential.

So this is a great time to hear from them.

Then the candidates will have another opportunity to do the same thing at Union as The Jackson Chamber is hosting a forum of its own at Union University on April 26. More details on that event later.

Well have more coverage throughout the month of April regarding other elections too, including County Commission races that will have contested primaries and the race for Sheriff.

Good luck to all the candidates and thank you for being willing to serve in whatever capacity for which youre running.

Brandon Shields is the editor of The Jackson Sun. Reach him at bjshields@jacksonsun.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.

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Learn about candidates before casting votes in the next few weeks | Opinion - The Jackson Sun