PULASKI -- Mayor Jeff Worrell has decided to conduct discussions about candidates for a town council vacancy appointment in public.

Some town residents had expressed skepticism about the transparency of the process, and Town Manager John Hawley indicated last month that the town could cite personnel law as a reason to discuss the candidates in closed session. But David Warburton, the town's attorney, said Tuesday evening that he has advised Worrell that discussing the vacancy appointment in closed session is not permitted under the state's Freedom of Information Act that governs public meetings.

Warburton's comments followed a town council special session called to interview the six candidates. The council will appoint one of the candidates to fill Worrell's former council seat, which was vacated when Worrell was sworn in as mayor July 1.

While the candidates' experience ranges from none at all to Nick Glenn's nearly 10 years on the council spanning two decades, most seemed to agree that the town was not living up to its potential.

"I can remember when Main Street in Pulaski was the place where everybody came. You couldn't find a parking place downtown," Glenn said. "We've kind of gone downhill for a long time, but we're starting to dig back out."

Other candidates expressed concern about a lack of town-sponsored programs to engage youth and expressed varying degrees of skepticism about whether tourism was a viable industry that could encourage more business.

The council will appoint a candidate to Worrell's vacant seat during the council meeting Tuesday.