BRISTOL, Tenn. — Voters on both sides of State Street get a chance this week to size up the people running for city council, as the Bristol Chamber brings candidates from Bristol, Tenn., and Bristol, Va., onto one stage at the Paramount on Thursday.
Eleven candidates are competing for a total of six seats spread across the two cities’ councils. The chamber’s government relations team organized the event so residents can compare positions side by side on business and community priorities before Election Day.
Beth Rhinehart, who leads the Bristol Chamber as president and CEO, described the forum as a way for voters to learn where each candidate stands and get a sense of them as people.
Admission is free, and doors at the historic theater open at 5 p.m. The forum will also be streamed online Thursday for anyone who cannot make it downtown, so residents who work late or live farther out can still follow the answers.
The Paramount has set ground rules to keep the night nonpartisan and orderly. People attending may not wear campaign clothing, carry signs or hand out campaign literature inside the forum space, and disruptive behavior is not allowed.
Candidates may leave their campaign materials in a designated spot in the theater lobby, where attendees can pick them up after the forum ends. Organizers say the aim is a respectful setting for civic engagement in the community.
Because the twin cities run separate city governments, the joint format is one of the few times voters in both cities can hear their council hopefuls answer the same questions in the same room. Residents who plan to attend should arrive early, since the event takes place on a weeknight in the heart of downtown.
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