BAY MINETTE, Ala. – All but one of the candidates for the open District 1 Congressional seat will attend a forum in Baldwin County Monday, Sept. 16.

“Right now, Chad Fincher is the only one who will not be there,” said Kay Day, event coordinator for the Common Sense Campaign Tea Party, North Baldwin chapter. “I talked to Bradley Byrne at the Republican forum (earlier this week) and he is trying to rearrange his schedule to attend.”

With Byrne, the Sept. 16 Candidate Forum at the Bay Minette Civic Center will feature eight of the nine Republican candidates, both Democrats and James Hall, the only independent currently in the race. While party candidates had to qualify last month, independent candidates have until Sept. 24, the date of the primary elections, to qualify with the Secretary of State.

Even though Byrne and Fincher might miss the event, there will be room for them on the stage.

“We are going to have a space for them in case they do show up,” said Day.

The forum will begin promptly at 6:15 p.m. at the civic center, located just north of City Hall on Highway 31. Officials have scheduled a meet and greet session at 5:30 to allow people to meet the candidates in a less formal setting.

“We will allow each candidate three minutes for opening statements, to tell the crowd who they are, where they come from and what they believe in,” said Day. “Then we will go right into the written questions from the audience. That’s what people want to hear.

“If we have time at the end, we might take questions from the floor at the microphone. We want to get everybody’s questions answered, time permitting.”

People are encouraged to arrive early to write down their questions. Organizers will sort through the questions, to make sure the same topics are not covered more than once.

The candidates are running to fill the seat left vacant when Jo Bonner announced his retirement earlier this year. The candidates are Lula Albert-Kaigler (D), Burton LeFlore (D), Bradley Byrne (R), J. Daniel Dyas Sr. (R), Chad Fincher (R), Wells Griffith (R), Quin Hillyer (R), Jessica James (R), Sharon L. Powe (R), David G. “Thunder” Thornton (R), Dean Young (R) and James Hall (I).

The following night on the west side of Mobile Bay, most of the candidates will head to St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile for another forum at the Moorer Theater on the St. Paul’s campus from 6 – 8 p.m.