With the upcoming move to expand the Cullman County Commission from three to five seats, this year’s field of candidates for associate commissioner is so crowded it’ll take more than one event to let them all speak.

Thursday night will mark the first of two Republican Party forums featuring candidates for a pair of associate commissioner’s seats. A second forum, also for associate commissioner candidates, is set to follow on March 31. Because all of the opposition for the associate commissioner seats falls within the Republican Party (no Democrats are running), the races will be decided on May 24, when voters head to the polls for local party primary elections.

Since all of the candidates in this year’s commission races are Republicans, the forum will serve as a chance for every candidate in the field to have a speaking turn before voters. Two of the associate commissioner races on the ballot field only a single candidate — incumbent Kerry Watson faces no opposition for the District 1 seat, while Kelly Duke is running unopposed for the new District 3 seat.

The other two associate commissioner races feature eight candidates between them. The District 2 race fields incumbent associate commissioner Garry Marchman, who faces opposition from GOP challengers Josh Speakman and Richard Barnett. In the District 4 race, five candidates are vying for the opportunity to occupy the newly-created seat: Andy Pate, Corey Freeman, Jeremy S. Jackson, Kristi Creel Bain, and Morris L. Williams.

Ken Brown, a member of the local Republican Party executive committee, will moderate the session and deliver questions to the candidates. No audience questions will be taken, though guests will have the opportunity to speak with candidates in person after the event has finished.

In 2019, the Alabama legislature approved a locally-sponsored measure to convert the Cullman County Commission from a three-member body (one full-time chair and two full-time associates) to a five-member one, with four associate commissioner seats as part-time positions and the chair as a full-time one. Each of the four associate commissioners must reside in one of four districts created for the new setup, with the dividing line marking the districts’ boundary defined as the intersection of U.S. Highway 278 and U.S. Highway 31 in Cullman.

Although the associates will come from different areas of the county, all county voters will be able to vote for candidate in each of the four races.

Hosted by the Cullman County Republican Party, Thursday’s forum will take place at the Cullman VFW Post 2214, and will begin at 7 p.m. The forum is free to attend for any member of the public, including Democratic Party members and those with no political affiliation. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and a $10 dinner will be served on-site at 6 p.m. for those who wish to arrive early.