HUTTO – Threats of a sitin did not stop a political candidate forum from happening on Saturday, but they may have affected the turn-out.
About 30 residents showed up at Christ the Rock Church, 3250 Limmer Loop. A security guard was also present to ensure the safety of the crowd after social media posts called for people to show up in protest, even if they were not Hutto residents.
“Some are worried about violence because of possible veiled threats and previous posts. While it’s sad that our country has gotten to a point where people may have a ‘call of action’ for something as simple as a candidate forum for the public to attend and ask potential candidate questions, we can’t jeopardize our democratic process,” Mayor Mike Snyder assured his social media followers, adding that Hutto Police Department had been notified of the potential threat.
Only four candidates attended: incumbent Snyder, one of two candidates for Mayor; Jim Morris, one of three candidates for Place 3, replacing Randal Clark who is not running for re-election; Aaron King and Brandon Deleon, two of the three candidates running for Place 6, currently held by Amberley Kolar who is running for re-election. A fourth Place 6 candidate, Erin McGowan, said she has withdrawn from the campaign though her name is still listed on the ballot.
The event was organized by Snyder. The mayor said he planned the forum because people were asking him if there would be one, and at the time no other forums had been announced so he scheduled one himself.
To avoid seeming biased, all of the questions were asked directly from audience members with no pre-scripted questions.
Cory Denena, a candidate for Place 6, said he chose not to attend because of concerns whether the event would be fair.
“I will be happy to participate in a fair and impartial event sponsored by and monitored by a neutral third party. The Mr. Snyder sponsored event did not meet that criteria. If a future event does meet that criteria, I would be more than eager to participate. I think the public, and the candidates deserve forums sponsored by neutral third parties,” Denena said.
Henry Gideon, who is running against Snyder for the mayoral seat, didn’t attend because he had a pre-scheduled meet-and-greet event. He said that having Snyder organize the event was also a concern for him, in part because it was planned without checking other candidates availability in advance.
“This was a forum scheduled by the current mayor with a ‘moderator’ who is a known supporter of the mayor. We have already participated in the Power Breakfast forum, and we will also participate in the upcoming Rotary Club forum and Hutto Chamber forum. These are the traditional, sanctioned forums that arranged schedules with candidate input,” Gideon said.
Seven of the candidates attended a forum earlier in the month held by the Hutto Chamber of Commerce during its monthly breakfast meeting. The chamber is also holding a candidate meet-andgreet for chamber members on March 26 from 5-7 p.m. at 122 East St.
The Rotary Club held a lunch forum on held March 25.
The last day to register to vote is April 3. Early voting is from April 22-29. The election is May 3, and voting will be at Hutto City Hall, 500 W. Live Oak St.
Mayoral Candidates:
Mike Snyder, Henry Gideon
Place 3 Candidates:
Cory Denena, Jim Morris, Monekia Kea
Place 6 Candidates:
Amberley Kolar, Brandon Deleon, Aaron King, Erin McGowan (withdrawn)
