By Liz Holland

The public will be able to hear from three candidates running for Wicomico County Executive during a forum next Tuesday, Sept. 27, at Salisbury University.

The Greater Salisbury Committee, along with the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at SU, have been sponsoring local candidate forums since 2018 as a way to promote civility and bipartisanship, said Mike Dunn, President and CEO of the Greater Salisbury Committee.

“The main thing we’re trying to do is educate the voter,” he said.

The County Executive forum will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Holloway Hall Auditorium on the SU campus. It will be moderated by 47-ABC news anchor Hannah Cechini and panelists will include Dunn, Chamber of Commerce President Bill Chambers and Sandy Pope from PACE.

Members of the public will be able to submit written questions to the candidates at the start of the forum, Dunn said. The questions will be read by the moderator.

The candidates include Julie Giordano of Hebron, a former Human Services manager and 16-year veteran of Wicomico County schools, who won the Republican primary with 52 percent of the vote, edging out incumbent Acting County Executive John Psota.

Giordano will face Democratic candidate Ernie Davis of Salisbury, who is the current Wicomico County Council Vice President and a small business owner.  Also in the race is Muir Boda of Salisbury, a Libertarian and current Vice President of the Salisbury City Council.

The candidates forum is a free event and open to the public.

Dunn said more forums are planned on Oct. 20 for Wicomico County Council candidates and on Oct. 25 for Wicomico County Board of Education.

Early voting in Maryland starts Oct. 27 and Election Day is Nov. 8.