BEAUFORT TODAY

Candidates for Beaufort mayor and City Council seats will have two opportunities to court voters next week.

The four mayoral candidates are Donnie Beer, Mike Brant, Billy Keyserling and Mike Sutton. The five council candidates, competing for two seats, are: John Gentry, Carl Harper, Harley Laing, Mike McFee and incumbent Gary Fordham.

The Uptown Beaufort Merchants Association will host a candidate forum at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Blue Crab Restaurant & Bar.

The newly formed Uptown Beaufort Merchants Association represents the businesses along the Boundary Street corridor between Bellamy’s Curve and the city tennis courts.

For more information, contact Cindy Turnbull at 521-4050 or by e-mail at graceandgloryuptown@yahoo.com

Historic preservation issues in the city will be the focus of a candidate forum sponsored by the Historic Beaufort Foundation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Performing Arts Center.

Candidates for mayor of Beaufort and for two open city council seats will be asked to address issues relevant to historic preservation.

The public will have an opportunity to submit questions. The forum is free and the doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

While preservation of Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark District will be the topic of many of the questions, the future of other city neighborhoods will be discussed.