The Cranston Herald in partnership with the Cranston Public Library is hosting a Republican mayoral debate and a Democratic State Senate candidate forum ahead of the Sept. 10 primary. 

The first event, a Republican mayoral debate between Mayor Ken Hopkins and State Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, will take place on Monday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m. at Cranston’s Central Library on Sockanosset Cross Road.  

The debate will be moderated by John Howell, the former publisher of the Cranston Herald. He will be joined by a panel of reporters including Rory Schuler of the Cranston Herald, Isabella Jibilian of Rhode Island PBS and Ian Donnis of The Public’s Radio.  

The second event, a Democratic State Senate District 28 candidate forum, will take place on Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. at Cranston’s William Hall Library on Broad Street. All five Democratic candidates confirmed attendance: Darrèll Brown, Melissa Carden, John Croke, Bernice Morris, and Cranston City Council Vice President Lammis Vargas. 

The forum will be moderated by the Honorable Edward C. Clifton, who served as an Associate Justice on the Rhode Island Superior Court for more than 20 years, before retiring in 2015. He will be joined by Rory Schuler, Herald editor and Barbara Polichetti, formerly of the Providence Journal and a contributor to the Herald.   

These two opportunities to hear from candidates promise to be informative sessions, offering voters a look at each candidate’s plans and priorities. The Cranston Herald is accepting questions from readers for consideration at the mayoral debate and the state senate forum. Email publisher@beaconmediari.com with the subject line: Candidate Questions. 

Both events are free to attend and open to the public.