Republican candidates for Hamilton County mayor are slated to have at least three more chances to publicly lay out their platforms as debates shape up ahead of the May primary election.
The Times Free Press and WRCB Local 3 News will together hold a debate from 5 to 6 p.m. on April 11. It will be broadcast live on Local 3 News and livestreamed by the Times Free Press at timesfreepress.com and Local 3 News at local3news.com.
The campaigns of candidates Matt Hullander of Chattanooga, Sabrena Smedley of Ooltewah and Weston Wamp of Chattanooga all have confirmed they will be participating.
"The importance of voters having ample time to hear from all three candidates in this once-in-a-generation race cannot be overstated," Wamp said in a Monday statement.
(READ MORE: Hamilton County mayor candidates talk pandemic mandates, education at Calvary Chapel)
The debate will be moderated by Dave Flessner of the Times Free Press and David Carroll of Local 3 News. It will not include Democrat Matt Adams because he has no opposition in the May 3 primary.
In addition, independent candidates won't be included because they will not appear on the ballot until the August general election.
The candidates will receive debate topics ahead of the event, but they will not receive any specific questions.
The questions will come from journalists of the news organizations as well as Hamilton County residents. Questions can be suggested at bit.ly/mayorQs.
The candidates are also slated to have the opportunity to face off in at least two other events before the April 11 debate, although not all of the events will feature all three candidates running on the Republican ballot.
The first confirmed event, labeled as a forum, will be held by the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga. It will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on April 5 at the Mountain City Club at 729 Chestnut St.
Both Wamp and Smedley will attend the forum, but Hullander will not be attending due to a scheduling conflict, campaign spokesperson Robin Derryberry said in a Monday email.
However, she added, Hullander is looking forward to other future debates and will be holding multiple town halls and meet-and-greets throughout March.
"We also have three upcoming fundraisers with a fourth in the works, so March really is coming in like a lion for the Hullander campaign," she said.
Another confirmed event will be a televised debate held by WTVC NewsChannel 9 at 7 p.m. on April 7. All candidates have confirmed they will be participating.
(READ MORE: Education, schools dominate first Hamilton County mayor debate)
The Hamilton County Pachyderm Club in a Facebook message also said it was working with candidates to set up a debate and would soon release details.
"The best campaign is a genuine conversation about good government among friends and neighbors," Smedley said in a statement last week. "That said, there's also a benefit to engaging in a direct exchange of ideas to show who's really ready for the job. That's why I'm looking forward to a set number of high-quality debates. Beyond those, I'm always ready to talk about the issues and make authentic connections, listening to citizens face-to-face where they are."
The candidates have already participated in one debate and one forum over the past week.
(READ MORE: Lookouts must 'start over' for pro baseball to remain in Chattanooga)
In what was pitched as a conversation rather than a debate at Calvary Chapel Chattanooga on Sunday, the candidates touched on topics such as critical race theory, pandemic-related mandates and government "tyranny" in general.
On Feb. 21, the three Republicans during an hour-long debate hosted by the Chattanooga-based conservative organization Hamilton Flourishing participated in a discussion that largely focused on public education.
The voter registration deadline for the primary election is April 4. Early voting will take place between April 13 and April 28, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is April 26.
Contact Logan Hullinger at lhullinger@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow him on Twitter @LoganHullinger.