A red letter day is coming up in Hartselle.

On Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 7-9 p.m., candidates for Hartselle mayor, city council and Hartselle school board will speak in a public forum at Sparkman Civic Center. They will respond to questions submitted by you, the voters.

You may be asking yourself why is it important for me to spend two hours watching and listening to a bunch of politicians?

First, several of the candidates are newcomers to politics. Because of limited campaign funds you may never see their photo and message displayed on a TV screen or published in a newspaper. Likewise, because they have only four more weeks to conduct their campaigns, you may never see them face-to-face at your front door.

Second, by attending the forum, voters will get a good look at each candidate, learn something about his background and experience and be able to judge how he reacts to being in front of a crowd. They will also hear his impromptu response to a question pertaining to city government.

Third, the candidates who are elected in the Aug. 28th municipal election will have the votes to decide how effectively and efficiently city government is operated for the next four years. On a personal level, they will decide how much you will pay to use a public park pavilion or hold a yard sale, where you can and can’t park your car and whose pot-marked street will be resurfaced next.

Hopefully, some will have new and refreshing ideas about what can to done to solve problems related to the loss of medical services, poor drainage, lagging business and residential growth and transportation infrastructure.

Is it important for you and me to attend the August 7th candidate forum” You bet it is!

If we don’t get it right this time, it will be four long years before we have another shot.