Franklin’s two mayoral candidates will answer voters’ questions tonight at a forum sponsored by WLQM-FM and The Tidewater News.

The forum, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Paul D. Camp Community College Workforce Development Center, will be broadcast live on 101.7 FM.

Incumbent Mayor Jim Councill and challenger James Riddick Sr. will make opening and closing statements and field questions from moderator Steve Stewart, publisher of The Tidewater News. The questions were submitted by voters to the newspaper in advance.

Admission is free.

Councill and Riddick will square off in the May 4 general election.

A similar forum for Ward 6 City Council candidates will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the same location. No radio broadcast is planned. Candidates Jamie Brown and Ray Smith have agreed to participate. A third candidate, Don Blythe, said Monday that he will not participate, citing an unidentified out-of-town obligation.

Incumbent Ward 3 Councilwoman Rosa Lawrence also declined an invitation to participate in a forum with challenger Greg McLemore. Lawrence said she declined because her opponent was “being messy.” McLemore had accepted the newspaper’s invitation to participate.