Candidates who are competing for the District 4 seat on the Nash County Board of Commissioners will participate in a public forum Tuesday night.

The forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the Nash Arts Center, 100 E. Washington St. in Nashville. It is being sponsored by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

A Republican and two Democrats are vying against incumbent Danny Tyson for the District 4 seat.

Republican Lisa Stone Barnes is competing against Tyson in the Republican primary. Democrats Bert Daniel and Gerald “Jerry” Harris are competing in the Democratic primary.

All four candidates plan to attend Tuesday’s forum, said Renee Davis, a member of the Chamber’s board of directors. The candidates will gather at 6:30 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with guests before the forum, Davis said.

She encouraged people to come learn about the candidates.

“I think they owe it to themselves to know what the candidates stand for,” Davis said.

A moderator will ask the candidates a variety of questions, Davis said. She said the public will not have an opportunity to ask questions during the forum.

Candidates will have a designated amount of time to respond to each question.

At the end of the forum, they will have time to make closing remarks, Davis said.

She said a local resident asked whether there would be any sort of forum with the candidates for District 4. That planted a seed, Davis said. Because so many candidates are vying for the District 4 seat, she said, the Chamber thought it would be nice to hold a public forum.

The race for the District 4 seat has garnered extra attention because the candidates have differing views about a proposed Sanderson Farms chicken processing plant.

Tyson and Harris have said they would support the plant, while Daniel and Barnes have said they would oppose it.

Last month, Nash County commissioners voted 5-2 to approve a resolution of support if Sanderson Farms decides to come to the county.

Last week, county officials participated in mediation talks with city of Wilson officials to try to resolve their differences. Wilson officials and concerned residents from Southern Nash County sued Nash County over the rezoning of land that could be used for the chicken processing plant if Sanderson Farms decides to come to Nash County. Wilson city officials and landowners also have raised concerns that the plant and chicken houses that would be built to supply it could cause property values to decline, create environmental problems and threaten the area’s water supply.

Nash County officials have refuted those concerns. They said the plant would create much needed jobs and boost the area's economy. In a statement released last week, Nash County Manager Bob Murphy said county officials feel they made “substantial progress” during the mediation talks last week, and they hope to continue their discussions.