The Pike County Republican Women will hold their monthly meeting today at noon at the American Legion building in downtown Troy on Walnut Street.

Ray Bryan, a Republican candidate for State Auditor from Anniston, will be the featured speaker.

“Ray Bryan will be our featured speaker,” Pike County Republican Women President Ginny Hamm said. “He’s bringing his wife with him. When we have candidates who come speak to us, they generally explain what’s going on in the office they are running for, what is being done wrong in the office they’re running for and why they would be the best choice for the office.”

Bryan is just the first of many state and local office candidates who will speak to the organization this year. “We have a lot of candidates coming to speak to us this year,” Hamm said. “There are a whole bunch of people running for different positions in the county and in the state.”

For people curious about where candidates stand on certain issues, the organization’s monthly meetings provide an ideal learning platform. “What I always tell people is that if you want a forum to speak your mind and know people’s positions, our meetings are the best place to do that,” Hamm said. “We’re one of the only organizations in town who bring in candidates. We’re all in this together for our city, our county, our state, our nation. We need citizens to be proactive and try to influence our legislators.”

Everyone is invited “We have no restriction on age or gender,” Hamm said. “We actually have just about as many male members as female members.”

Admission to the meeting is free, but lunch catered by The Pig Café will be $12. The meet-and-greet begins at 11:30 a.m., and the meeting will take place from noon to 1 p.m.