Encinitas District 3 candidates Arielle Golden and Ed Sprague meet at a Cardiff-by-the-Sea forum Tuesday, Sept. 15. It is the first time voters will hear the two side by side before the November election.

The forum runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ada W. Harris Elementary School auditorium, 1508 Windsor Rd. The Cardiff-by-the-Sea Town Council Committee of Cardiff 101 Main Street is hosting the event.

The Coast News reporter Cameron Adams, who covers Encinitas and Carlsbad, will moderate. Residents submitted questions in advance, with a Sept. 13 deadline. No questions will be accepted the day of the event. The committee and moderator reviewed submissions to keep the discussion focused on local Cardiff and Encinitas issues.

The seat is open because Councilmember Joy Lyndes announced earlier this year she will not seek re-election. District 3 primarily covers the Cardiff region, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Golden, a 13-year Encinitas resident, previously managed Feeding San Diego's expansion into North County and served as chair of the North County Food Policy Council. When she announced her candidacy in April, she told the San Diego Union-Tribune, "I see us at a fork in a road as a city," citing growth management, transit and coastal protection as priorities.

Sprague is a retired firefighter and former Olivenhain Municipal Water District board member, according to the Union-Tribune. His campaign website is edforencinitas.com. No on-record quotes from Sprague were available for this preview.

The Cardiff-by-the-Sea Town Council has hosted election forums since Encinitas incorporated in 1986, according to Patch.

Two more forums follow in the coming days. The League of Women Voters of North County San Diego hosts a forum covering the mayor, District 3 and District 4 races from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 890 Balour Dr. A separate mayoral forum, also hosted by Cardiff 101 Main Street, is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the same Ada W. Harris auditorium.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.