With two weeks remaining until Suffolk’s historic first direct mayoral election, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce plans the third forum featuring all six of the candidates who will be on that Suffolk ballot.

The forum will be held Wednesday from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. Candidates will address some of the bigger issues facing the city. They will also spend some time sharing their personal views and visions for the city.

Dean McClain, director of the Suffolk division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber has wanted to hold a forum for Suffolk citizens Suffolk since the city announced it would be holding a direct election.

“My board members said this would be something we should do,” McClain said. “It’s something the Chamber does at the Beach, they’ve done it in Chesapeake, they do it in Norfolk … It’s something we’ve done throughout the region, and we wanted to do here. My board just wanted to use it as a good community, civic-type of event.”

The format of the Chamber forum will be different from that of the previous two.

Each candidate will have up to two minutes for opening remarks. Then, the candidates will each be asked three questions chosen randomly from a list that was given to each candidate in advance to prepare. They will have two minutes per question to answer.

Following those sets of questions, each candidate will get what McClain refers to as “the pop quiz” question. Each will be asked a question that has been specifically prepared for them, but has not been provided to them to prepare an answer. Each candidate will have three minutes to answer this question.

“Hopefully we’ll see some fireworks,” McClain said.

Following the “pop quiz,” the candidates will have one minute for closing thoughts or summaries, and then the forum will lead into a time of mingling with guests in the SCCA.

The forum will be moderated by Ross Boone, a current commissioner on the Planning Commission and former Suffolk Citizen of the Year.

The event is free and open to the public, and Mosaic – the restaurant in the arts center — will be open before and after the forum.

“It’s free. Come on out … and watch democracy in action,” McClain said.

For more information, contact Lisa Johnson at 664-2561 or Dean McClain at 664-2610.