During Sunday’s mayoral forum at Selma High School, candidates had a chance to explain how they’d improve Selma. All five candidates — Greg Bjelke, George Evans, Jerria Martin, Darrio Melton and James Perkins — participated in the forum.

The auditorium at Selma High School was packed with an estimated 700 people in attendance.

While we can all sit here and debate which candidate is the best for Selma, this city won’t go anywhere if those living here aren’t invested in the future. Sunday’s crowd — not to mention hundreds more listening on the radio or following our Facebook stream — showed many understand how important this election is for Selma’s future.

That’s a major positive for Selma.

The mayor debate went on for more than two hours and a city council forum followed. Many in the audience stuck around for that forum too, another encouraging sign.

We want to thank One Selma for hosting the debate, which gave each candidate a fair chance to answer questions regarding Selma’s hottest issues, like the St. James Hotel, school system and unemployment rate.

The municipal elections are three weeks away from today, so it won’t be long before it’s time to vote. Hopefully, the forums on Sunday helped voters gain clarity on which candidates they’d like to see elected in our city.

The forum did exactly what organizers set out for it to do — it provided a platform for each candidate to have their voice heard. In just a few weeks, voters will get to have their say.