Weakley County residents have until Wednesday, March 22 to submit questions for "Meet the Mayors: A Weakley County Mayoral Forum."

The forum will feature Weakley County city mayors and county mayor Ron Gifford in a panel discussion set for 6:30 p.m., March 28 in Watkins Auditorium. The event is sponsored by the 2006 Leadership Weakley County class.

So what would we ask the county's mayors?

• What is your office doing to bring jobs to the area? It is still tough for any student or graduate to find sufficient work, which means that many are forced to take out additional student loans. The lottery scholarship doesn't solve all of our problems.

• What can be done to bring more leisure and dining establishments to Martin? We have more than 6,000 souls who would love a true 24-hour establishment. Late night entertainment can only be found at bars. A bowling alley, miniature golf, Internet café or a 24-hour gym would enhance these offerings.

• What does the term "Economic Development" mean to you? This is a more open-ended question, but one that could reveal a great deal about the ills of our way of local government. Coordinated planning with the state appears to threaten what little authority these men and women have in building our communities. There comes a time to let go.

• What role do the needs of students have in your decision making process? The university cannot be ignored as a major player in county politics and policy making. We are yet to encounter a time when the needs of UTM have directly contradicted the needs of the Martin community.

Students are also Weakley County residents, and as such we encourage everyone to send questions to weakleycounty2006@yahoo.com. If you can, go to the forum and hear what the power players have to say that affects your future.