JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The four candidates running for mayor of Jacksonville will give their final pitches before election day Tuesday.
Mayor Alvin Brown, Republicans Lenny Curry and Bill Bishop and independent Omega Allen will face off on the campus of Jacksonville University during a debate hosted by News4Jax Wednesday.
Rick Mullaney has spent years involved with Jacksonville politics and is now the director of the Public Policy Institute at JU. He said these debates are so important, because it's the last time voters will hear directly from the candidates themselves.
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"We think watching it will improve voter turnout, we also think it helps inform the voters so they can make an informed decision," said Mullaney.
Mullaney said every voter should watch Wednesday night's debate. The four mayoral candidates will go head to head for a one-hour debate hosted by JU and Channel 4.
"Hear directly from those four candidates about the issues facing the future of Jacksonville, the development of the shipyards, the port international trade, pension reform, public safety and more," said Mullaney.
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Thursday night the seven candidates for sheriff will get their turn to debate. With issues such as a $400 million budget and more than 3,000 employees, Mullaney said it will be an important debate.
"Because of the number of candidates and because it's the sheriff's race, it's a little harder to get that word out. This may be the highest profile event of the entire race, so this is an important hour and important conversation for the people of Jacksonville to tune into," said Mullaney.
He said he believes these debates help increase voter turnout, saying history shows voters tend to pay more attention closer to election time.
"These debates, I think, have an important role on our democratic process. We take it for granted, hear a lot of nations around the world would love to have what Channel 4 will be showing Wednesday and Thursday night," said Mullaney.
If you can't watch tonight's debate, we will be hosting a live chat on Twitter. You can join the conversation using the#JaxDebate.
You can watch Wednesday night's mayoral debate live on Channel 4 at 8 p.m. or by using the livestream on News4Jax.com.
The sheriff's debate will be Thursday night also live on Channel 4 and News4Jax, starting at 8 p.m.