Nine candidates running for Palmetto Bay mayor and two council seats will face voters' questions at a public forum Saturday, Oct. 3, ahead of the Nov. 3 municipal election.

The community group Around Palmetto Bay, founded by local advocate Lisa Merkin, will host the nonpartisan forum and meet-and-greet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Central Makers at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, 12450 SW 152nd St., WLRN first reported. Admission and parking are free.

Nine candidates vie for three village seats

Three races are on the Nov. 3 ballot: mayor, Council Seat 1 and Council Seat 3. As of mid-August, nine candidates had qualified, according to the village's candidate portal.

Three candidates qualified for mayor: David Singer, Tamara Mourino and Karen Baez-Wallis. Tana Llinas and Pam Gorman are running for Seat 1. Four candidates qualified for Seat 3: A.J. "Al" Lara, Lasaly Changkachith, Alan "AlJohn" Farquharson and Carl Crawford.

Residents can submit questions in advance

Merkin said her group wants residents to help decide what the candidates are asked.

"We also want residents to have a voice in this forum, which is why we're asking the community to send us the questions they want answered," Merkin said.

Residents can submit questions by emailing Merkin at [email protected]. Merkin said the goal is to help Palmetto Bay voters become informed and engaged before they cast ballots.

The venue sits just outside village limits in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, near the intersection of SW 152nd Street and SW 124th Avenue. The Gold Coast Railroad Museum hosts a Central Makers artisan market on the first Saturday of each month, and the forum will coincide with that market.

Registration and mail ballot deadlines approach

Several key election deadlines are approaching. Voter registration closes Monday, Oct. 5, according to the village's elections page. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is 5 p.m. Oct. 22.

If no candidate in a race receives more than 50% of ballots cast, a runoff election will be held Dec. 1. The Miami-Dade County Elections Department handles ballot printing, voting equipment and vote tallying for all village elections. Results will begin posting at 7:15 p.m. on Election Day.