BURLINGTON — Lawrence County Clerk of Courts Mike Patterson doesn’t have to worry about beating someone in the November election. He is running unopposed for his second bid for the office.

However, Patterson was the first person to tell the Concerned Citizens of Burlington he would be at their forum on Thursday.

“I think the county ought to know the people they are voting for, what they stand for, what their beliefs are, how they plan to make the office better, ” Patterson said. “We ought to be out there where people can see us and meet us.”

That has always been the purpose of the Concerned Citizens annual Meet the Candidates Forum, which was started to give voters in the eastern end of the county the chance to see the candidates in person and ask them questions. Format for the forum will be that each candidate can speak for four minutes with questions from the audience to follow.

The Concerned Citizens sent out letters to 20 candidates who will be on the general election ballot this November. So far those saying they will be there besides Patterson include County Commissioners Freddie Hayes and Bill Pratt, County Treasurer Stephen Burcham, County Auditor Jason Stephens and County Commission candidates Doug Malone and Carl Robinson. Stephens is not on this year’s ballot.

The forum starts at 6 p.m. at the Burlington Elementary School cafeteria.