BATON ROUGE -- St. George residents had the chance to hear from the two candidates running for mayor of the new city at a luncheon held at the Cafe Americain Tuesday.

The candidates are Interim Mayor Dustin Yates (R) and challenger Jim Morgan (R).

Yates says he is running to continue the work that he's been doing for St. George for more than 10 years. Morgan, on the other hand, is a political outsider. A U.S. Army veteran, Morgan didn't even think of getting into the race until a specific St. George Council meeting last month.

On Jan. 14, the St. George City Council voted yes on salaries for the incoming administration. The new salary for the mayor would be $160,000, while the police chief would make $140,000. Those salaries will go into effect on July 1.

It was that night that Morgan said he didn't like where the city's administration was going.

"He did not say no, I'm not going to accept that salary. We're a new city. I got to prove myself first. The council has to prove themselves first to be worthy of deep six-figure," Morgan said of Yates.

Salaries were one of the main topics of discussion at the luncheon Tuesday. Yates said he did not vote for the salary increase, and like Morgan, believes in payment based on performance.

"I generally talk about the full value of the office and what the office is going to bring and what the council has suggested for this first four-year term is something that is far less than what we're currently paying for council seats and the Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish," Yates said.

Another point of discussion was that Morgan says he was endorsed by fire departments in both St. George and Baton Rouge.

Morgan currently serves as a member of the board of commissioners of the St. George Fire Protection District.

Yates was asked why he thought he didn't get their endorsement.

"I think one of the big issues was that I just wouldn't support collective bargaining, you know as a fundamental principle of government, I just don't believe collective bargaining is an appropriate thing in the public sector," Yates said.

As for Morgan, he admits he's not a career politician and has some work to do.

"I'm truly not read up on as much as I'd like to be right now, but I'll tell you this, whether it's the Lawrason Act, the home rule charter, or something modeled after Central, I'm all for looking and making the best decision," Morgan said.

Each candidate was also asked what makes them the best candidate.

Yates pointed to his experience and proven track record of being a leader as the interim mayor and his long-time work for the St. George Fire Protection District.

"I've been with you since the beginning. I've fought the fights. I've gone through the wars that we've had to go through to create the city of St. George. I volunteered to be the interim mayor for the city of St. George, which wasn't an easy decision," Yates said.

Morgan, a 26-year resident of the St. George area, talked about what he saw online from his fellow St. George residents that painted a picture of how he felt.

"I, like them, were looking at things like Nextdoor and Facebook. I was looking at the posts, and they aligned exactly with what I felt. I was highly disappointed and disillusioned after the Jan. 14 meeting. I was really amazed at the demeanor that sat behind the desk and looked and basically told everybody that they were misinformed. Well everybody, I believe, is educated," Morgan said.

Early voting for the St. George mayoral race starts on March 15 and lasts until the 22, with no voting on Sunday the 16. Election Day is set for March 29.