The debate is set to get underway at 6:30 p.m. in the Person County Office Building auditorium on South Morgan Street.

According to Kyle Puryear, a commissioner and member of the board of directors for the Jaycees, a debate format was chosen this year in order to allow citizens a chance “to be better informed”before to the election.

The three Republican candidates for commissioner — incumbent Larry Yarborough, 45, who lives at Hyco Lake; retired businessman Gerry O’Neil, 67, of Mayo Lake; and Sam Kennington, 61, who lives on Gordonton Road and is the current principal at Roxboro Community School, a position he will retire from later this year — will face the top three Democrats in the general election in November.

The five Democratic candidates, who must undergo a primary on May 6, are incumbent Commissioner Jimmy B. Clayton, 61, of Timberlake, a semi-retired environmental health specialist seeking his third term on the county board; Mike Barrett, 46, of Roxboro, an inclusion teacher at Person High School and former chairman of the Person County Democratic Party; David Brooks, 50, a carpenter who resides on Woodsdale Road; Ray Jeffers, 24, of Roxboro, operator of a kennel that trains German Shepherd dogs for police and the private sector; and Samuel H. Winstead, 82, a Leasburg area farmer and former county commissioner.

“The Jaycees realize this is a very important election, and we wanted to make this candidate forum very interesting,” Puryear said. “A debate format has been talked about from time to time in the past.” However, this will be the first time a debate process has been used by the Jaycees.

On Tuesday, each candidate for the board of commissioners will be allowed two minutes for opening remarks. Each will then have one minute to respond to questions that will be addressed specifically for them. Each of the other candidates will then have 30 seconds to respond to the question, and then the candidate who gave the initial response will then be provided an opportunity for rebuttal.

A four-member panel provided the questions for the debate. They include Puryear, who is not up for election this year, Commissioner Larry Bowes, who opted not to seek a second four-year term on the commission, former Commissioner Roy Holler and Micheal Slaughter, a member of the Jaycees and unsuccessful candidate for commissioner in 2006.

Puryear noted that each of the candidates was provided a questionnaire. Among the questions asked of the candidates were “what they wanted to accomplish as a commissioner,” and their top three priorities if elected, Puryear said. He also noted that each candidate was asked to rate the current members of the commission.

Puryear said the debate will be aired live on WKRX 96.7 FM and will also be shown live on the Person County government Web site at www.personcounty.net. The debate will also be broadcast on a taped-delayed basis by Cable Channel 10 several times following the event.