Twelve candidates. Four nominations. Thirty-six days.

This year's Mercer County commissioners race is being called the most important in at least 25 years.

Eight Republicans and four Democrats are running for their parties' nominations in the May 20 primary. The four winners face off in the fall, with the top three vote getters taking office in January 2004.

Whoever wins the general election will take command of a $54 million industry that employs hundreds of people and is responsible for delivering a host of essential services.

They will face a myriad of challenges, chief among them a county budget that's best described as tight. Construction of a new county jail is likely to land in the new board's lap, along with the debt payments on millions of dollars borrowed for that and other projects.

They will make more than $50,000 a year and can't be fired for the next four years.

And considering that only one incumbent commissioner is running for re-election, most of the candidates will have to learn on the job.

The public gets its first chance to check out all 12 hopefuls at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Lutheran Heritage Room of Thiel College in Greenville. The Center for Men's Leadership at Thiel is sponsoring the forum.

"We hope to use this event to spark a high turnout in this municipal election year, as well as foster a renewed interest in local government and how their decisions affect everyone in the community," said Nathan Shrader, president of the center.

Shrader got confirmation last week that all 12 candidates would be attending the forum. Shrader said the number of candidates meant that questions would be limited.

But those interested in the race can hear more from the candidates starting at 6 p.m. May 6 in Reynolds High School auditorium at a Mercer County Fire Chiefs Association and Mercer County Fire Rescue Training Institute sponsored event.

The Fire Chiefs Association is preparing four to five "issues pertinent" to the group's members and the community at large, according to a news release. The group asks that those interested in attending call to RSVP.

They aren't the only people interested in finding out who is capable of leading Mercer County. Last week the Pennsylvania Economy League and the League of Women Voters of Mercer County held a forum to try to formulate a series of questions for the candidates.

Among those invited was County Commissioner Kenneth W. Seamans, who is in the unique position of being the only unelected commissioner sitting on the board. Seamans was appointed to the job in 2001 after the resignation of former commissioner Brian W. Shipley. He is not running for re-election.

He said he was totally unprepared for the magnitude of the job or the constraints put on commissioners by the county code. While the county's budget tops $54 million, Seamans said only about $23 million of that is under the direct control of commissioners -- and half of that goes to fixed costs. The rest is state and federal money earmarked for specific programs.

The Economy League's Tom Tulip says this is the "most important and critical race" for county commissioner in at least 25 years. The new board "will face numerous unprecedented challenges ... as a result of the current depressed state of our economy at the local, state and national levels," he said.

He isn't sure how the questions -- which dealt with a candidate's ability to manage people and budgets, their vision for Mercer County and their knowledge of what the job entails -- would be put to the candidates or how their answers would be distributed.

Those interested in attending the fire chief's May 6 forum should call and leave a message indicating the number attending at (724) 646-2659, (724) 342-0669, or (724) 662-3290. A reception at 6 p.m. is followed at 7 p.m. by the candidates' forum.