BLACKSBURG -- Town residents can grab a cup of coffee and get to know candidates for town council through a series of forums that start tonight.

The "Coffee with the Candidates" forums will take place at the Easy Chair Coffee Shop in Blacksburg.

Ten people are running for four open council seats in the Nov. 3 election.

"What we have envisioned is kind of an informal setting where Blacksburg citizens can come and meet the candidates because there is such a huge field this year for the open seats," said Russell Chisholm, owner of the coffee shop.

Each candidate has a separate forum scheduled where residents can meet the individual and ask questions.

"Really, it's about access to the candidates who are running, and a way to try to increase participation in the local elections," Chisholm said.

A goal is that residents will come to the forums with their own questions, but there are also some prepared questions to help keep the discussion going, Chisholm said.

He has been working on the effort with resident Carol Davis, and preparation for the forums has involved organizing, scheduling, advertising and using social media tools such as Facebook to get the word out.

Chisholm hopes the forums will generate interest from the community.

"I think the participation will only get better as these events go on and people get a greater sense of what they really want to know from each candidate," he said.

Davis adds that if residents "don't take the time to educate themselves about the various candidates' positions, it will be really hard to make informed choices come Election Day," she wrote in an e-mail.

"The future direction of the town is very influenced by the makeup of town council. They have to make decisions that profoundly impact whether or not the town will grow and develop in smart ways which improve and sustain our quality of life while being smart about our use of resources."

The candidates for town council are incumbent Susan Anderson, Bryce Carter, Paul Lancaster, Frank Lau, Cecile Newcomb, Robert "Tom" Rogers, Michael Sutphin, John Bush, Krisha Chachra and Greg Fansler.

Incumbent Mayor Ron Rordam is running unopposed.

The council seats are voted on at-large.

Last year, the council voted to change elections from May to November of odd-numbered years in hopes of boosting turnout significantly. This fall will mark the town's first November election.