Town council candidates in Elizabethtown and White Lake will have their say this week in two forums.

White Lake candidates will meet at the Driftwood Grill Thursday at 7 p.m. Hubert Horne and the Concerned Citizens of Elizabethtown will hold a forum at the Paul R. Brown Building Friday at 7 p.m.

Organizers for both events said the forums are sponsored by private individuals, not candidates.

In White Lake, seven candidates are running for three open town board seats. Commissioner Tim Blount is the only member of the board on the ballot. Incumbents Kitty Cole Nye and Tracy Trivette did not seek reelection.

Blount, Larry Barnhart, J.C. Porterfield, A.D. Toler, Will Breazeale, Rhonda West Steele, and Bill Davis are vying for posts on the board.

Most of the candidates in that race have agreed to attend Thursday's forum.

In Elizabethtown, incumbent commissioners Pat Devane, Sylvia Campbell, and Herman Lewis face Judy Clark Cain for the three seats open there.

Dorothy Merritt, owner of the Driftwood, said the restaurant will open at 6 p.m. to give customers and candidates a chance to meet and enjoy a plate of spaghetti or hamburger soup.

While the dinner is dutch treat, Merritt said, the forum is free.

"We haven't done anything like this before," Merritt said, "but with all the interest in this year's election, it seemed like a good idea."

Merritt said if a large crowd shows up, the forum will be held outside.

"We hope we have a good crowd," Merritt said. "There are some important issues facing the lake, and this is a good chance for everyone to hear where the candidates stand."

Elizabethtown attorney Wes Johnson will act as moderator for the White Lake forum. Candidates will each have one minute to introduce themselves, and three minutes to answer each of a pre-set list of questions.

Merritt and others worked to compile the questions, based on issues such as growth, zoning, and the future of the resort town.

The beer and wine referendum set for White Lake-which also appears on the November ballot-is not an official part of Thursday's topic list, Merritt said, "but I'm sure somebody will want to talk about it."

The questions for the White Lake forum came from discussions around tables and at the counter at the grill, Merritt said, "so we know they're important to the community."

"This won't be an actual debate," Merritt said. "We've done our best to make sure this forum is as fair as it can be. We want the candidates to stick to the issues, since that's what should really concern the voters."

The Driftwood Grill is located at 777 White Lake Drive, near H&D's Supermarket and Hardware Store. For more information, call 872-5300.

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