A debate scheduled for Tuesday between congressional and local sheriff candidates may turn out to be a one-man show, as candidate Eugene Yu of Augusta, whose office arranged the debate, is the only one expected to attend.
The man he is challenging within the Republican Party for Georgia’s 12th Congressional District seat, incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, will not attend due to a political dispute between the two camps. Two of the three candidates in the race for Bulloch County sheriff — Jared Akins and Keith Howard — also said on Tuesday that they do not plan to attend, due to short notice and previous commitments. The third, Noel Brown, said that he had not even received an invitation to participate in the event.
The Statesboro Herald received a call on Wednesday around noon from local businessman Bill Thomas announcing the debate to be held Tuesday, May 10, at Ogeechee Technical College.
When Thomas, who said he was the event organizer, was asked whether the candidates had confirmed their attendance, he said, “As far as I know.”
However, after Thomas’ call, the Statesboro Herald contacted the sheriff candidates to ask if they would be attending the event. Howard said that he had received a voicemail about the debate from Thomas shortly after noon on Wednesday, but neither Brown nor Akins had received an invitation to the event at that time.
Akins said on Thursday that he did receive a message about the debate on Wednesday around 4 p.m., but Brown said that as of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, he still had not received an invitation.
None of them plan to attend.
Brown said that he is scheduled to attend a town hall meeting in Register at that time.
Akins said, “Due to short notice and prior commitments, we will have to gracefully miss that debate.”
Howard, a Democratic candidate, said that he will be at any debate or forum “after May 25 and Nov. 7.” He will face the Republican candidate — Akins or Brown — who wins the May 24 general primary in the Nov. 8 general election.
Allen’s office apparently had learned of the debate sometime earlier, as they responded to a query from the Statesboro Herald on Wednesday afternoon, declining the invitation.
“Once Mr. Yu files his personal financial disclosure report with the House clerk, gives a full accounting of where the over three-quarters of a million dollars he loaned his 2014 campaign came from and explains why the Federal Election Commission says he did not have sufficient income to loan his campaign that money and why the FEC finds reason to believe that his campaign violated federal campaign finance law, will Congressman Allen then even think about debating him,” said Tim Baker, Allen’s campaign spokesman.
When asked about the decision to include local sheriff candidates in a debate originally planned for congressional candidates, Scott Wheeler, the spokesman for Yu’s campaign, said that when his office learned Allen would not attend the debate, they added the sheriff’s race to the mix instead of canceling the event, as the venue at Ogeechee Technical College had already been reserved.
Barry Turner, vice president for college advancement at OTC, confirmed on Thursday that Yu’s office has reserved the college’s auditorium for Tuesday, May 10, from 6–8 p.m.
However, though neither Allen nor any of the three sheriff candidates plan to attend, Thomas said the debate still will be held — even if Yu is the only candidate present.
“Any candidate is invited to attend and participate,” Thomas said on Thursday. “It is going to be worth attending,” he said, adding that Yu will have “video clips of Allen and will discuss the clips and pertaining issues with the audience.”
“We’re still going to try to inform voters they do have a choice in this election,” Thomas said.
Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.