The Tryon Downtown Development Association, in conjunction with the Tryon Daily Bulletin and Andy Millard, will host a set of Tryon Candidate Forums Tuesday, Oct. 22 and Thursday, Oct. 24.

The events will be held on the Depot deck at 5:30 p.m. each evening.

Though voter turnout can sometimes be low without national races at stake, the Bulletin reminds voters that municipal elections often have a more direct impact on your lives than national elections.

Every decision made at a local level affects you.

You can see the impact of municipal elections as it hits your pockets through sales taxes, property taxes and fire taxes. You can feel the impact if law enforcement or fire protection isn’t valued and you no longer feel safe.

In Tryon, a number of topics grabbed front pages this year – water quality issues, water bill costs, economic development and fluctuation of downtown business, a need to improve infrastructure and tax increases. But, we want to know what concerns you. What do you want to ask your potential leaders?

Tryon, it’s time to have your say about who you want to make up your next council and who you want to lead them as the town’s mayor. Do you want Mayor Alan Peoples to continue leading the way or are you looking for a new face (Anne Day or Jim Wright) to take Tryon’s helm?

What about the makeup of the council? Are you enthusiastic, apprehensive or confident about any of the candidates’ potential?

Looking to take a seat on the council for Tryon are incumbents Doug Arbogast and Wim Woody, as well as candidates Bill Crowell, Bill Ingham, Happy McLeod and Billy Moss.

What would you like to know about how they would run the town? These candidate forums to be held in October offer the opportunity to hear from each of them. We just need your questions.

Send questions you’d like to have asked of the candidates to our editor, Samantha Hurst, at samantha.hurst@tryondailybulletin.com.

Please specify if your question is for the mayoral candidates, council candidates or both. Deadline to submit questions will be Thursday, Oct. 11.

– The Tryon Daily Bulletin Editorial Staff