By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham voters will get a chance to learn more about the city’s mayoral candidates during a July 19 forum at 7 p.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex.

During the forum, which is being sponsored by the Pelham Civic and Ice Advisory Council, will feature the city’s three current mayoral candidates, and will give the candidates a chance to voice their thoughts to Pelham voters.

As of July 11, former Pelham fire chief Gary Waters, current City Council member Steve Powell and incumbent Mayor Don Murphy had qualified to run for the mayor’s seat in the city’s upcoming elections. The qualifying period for the Aug. 28 elections will end July 17.

Pelham Civic and Ice Advisory Council member Brandon Blankenship said the organization decided to host the forum to allow voters to learn more about the candidates before the election.

“We really want it to be an opportunity for the voters to see what opportunities they have in the candidates for mayor,” Blankenship said, noting the three candidates are “ideologically diverse.”

“The best I can tell, they have all agreed to be there,” Blankenship added.

The forum will last about an hour-and-a-half, and will feature a question-and-answer session by a moderator. Before the forum, each candidate will be given a list of potential questions to be asked by the moderator, Blankenship said.

Although the forum will not include an open question-and-answer session by members of the audience, Pelham residents can submit questions to be asked by the moderator at Pccalliance.org. To submit a question, visit the website and click the “Mayoral Forum” tab at the top of the page.

“We are expecting a pretty large crowd,” Blankenship said.

The Civic and Ice Advisory Council, which was formed in April 2011, is made up of Pelham residents looking to support and strengthen the ice programs at the Pelham Civic Complex.