North Charleston mayoral candidates to speak at a public forum Tuesday night

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Nine of the candidates looking to become the next mayor of North Charleston will meet during a forum Tuesday night. The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Royal Baptist Missionary Church.

Tuesday’s forum will be different than in years past. After nearly three decades this will be the first North Charleston forum without Mayor Kieth Summy. With this year’s large candidate field, event organizers said they are working to make sure everyone is heard within the 90-minute event.

Director of Economic Development at Lowcountry Local First, Stephen Fletcher, told News 2 there is an added level of interest ahead of Tuesday evening’s forum.

“It’s been almost three decades of mayoral leadership under the same individual and that’s Mayor Keith Summey. This is the first year in 29 years that he is not on the ballot, so it’s just a really exciting mayoral race. It’s going to provide a stage for a large and diverse slate of candidates to showcase their unique perspectives and plans with respect to a number of issues.,” said Fletcher.

The forum will be hosted by the non-profit Low Country Local First and other local community partners. News 2 spoke to event organizers who said the event is planned to start with an introduction from each candidate followed by a series of questions with timed responses.

When members of the public register for the forum they will be able to write down questions that could be asked.

Fletcher told News 2 they’ve created a handful of questions for Tuesday’s forum around specific topics.

“Obstacles and opportunities for the North Charleston headquartered local independent business communities, notably the Black and Hispanic business communities. We’ll be looking at affordable and attainable housing, we’ll be highlighting issues around transportation and mobility, as well as safety and support for the LGBTQ+ community. And then there may be some time for general questions around economic development,” said Fletcher.

Event organizers tell News 2 they will also be streaming the event on social media.