Jail conditions, staffing needs, budget concerns and more are likely topics that will be covered during an upcoming forum between Bulloch County sheriff’s candidate Rey Rodriguez and incumbent Sheriff Noel Brown. 

Bulloch County voters will get a chance to watch Brown and challenger Rodriguez share their views on a variety of law enforcement and Sheriff’s Office issues during the event on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Averitt Center. 

Brown and Rodriguez will be on the Emma Kelly stage at 6:30 p.m. for the forum sponsored by the Statesboro Herald. 

Rodriguez said he looks forward to questions about concerns over alleged issues with jail conditions, underserved citizens in the community and budget issues. Brown expects to address the jail expansions, need for more staff to manage the expanded areas, COVID-19 prevention in the jail and his views on the 2nd Amendment. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no audience will be allowed inside the theater. However, the forum will be videotaped in its entirety and posted on the Herald website — statesboroherald.com — the next afternoon. 

The forum also will be broadcast on www.griceconnect.com.

The forum will receive full coverage by Statesboro Herald reporters, and a report will be posted on the Herald website and in the pages of the Statesboro Herald. 

“Since the candidates are unable to hold or attend large gatherings, we wanted to help offer a way for the public to hear a variety of their positions on issues that affect them directly,” said Jim Healy, operations manager and editor for the Statesboro Herald. 

For the forum, Brown and Rodriguez will be given two minutes each to introduce themselves. They then will be asked a number of questions directly related to the duties of the sheriff and law enforcement in Bulloch County. 

Rodriguez, a former Bulloch County sheriff’s deputy currently employed with a law enforcement agency in a neighboring county, said he served as a sergeant on road patrol, a SWAT member, and a field training officer with 16 years of experience in law enforcement and is a 20-year U.S. Army veteran.

Brown has worked more than 26 years with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a sergeant with the road patrol and civil unit before being elected sheriff in 2016. He also has worked with the Portal and Georgia Southern University police departments and served in the military. 

Rodriguez is running on the Democratic ticket, while Brown is a Republican.