By Moses Leos III.
It was to be a forum that gives Buda residents a chance to assess future city council candidates.
However, four of the six candidates apparently will not appear at tonight’s Buda Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) Forum, according to Wayne Proctor, who is running for Buda City Council Place 1.
In a letter to the Hays Free Press and the BACC, Proctor inferred that he and three other candidates would not attend the BACC forum.
Currently, Angela Kennedy, who is running for Place 1, and Place 2 incumbent Wiley Hopkins confirmed they would attend.
That leaves the remaining four candidates. They are Proctor’s wife, Amy, who is running for Place 2 against incumbent Wiley Hopkins, and Proctor himself. The remaining two are Lorraine Gerami and Beverly Araki. They, along with Wayne Proctor and Kennedy are vying for Place 1.
Proctor, who claimed he spoke for several of the candidates, said they wanted to obtain a larger reach of the community.
“Several of the candidates prefer a broader section of the public for a candidate forum,” Proctor said in the letter.
Instead, he suggested the Chamber help support a different forum, one that Proctor wants to organize himself. He went on to ask the Chamber to help advertise his forum.
The move came as a surprise to BACC Managing Director J.R. Gonzales, who was stunned by Proctor’s bold stance.
“I was surprised that as a viable [city council] candidate, that he would not take the opportunity to attend a forum where he could voice his opinion,” Gonzales said. “I was also surprised that he spoke on behalf of not just himself but three other candidates.”
Thus far, neither Araki nor Gerami have returned correspondence with the BACC in regard to the forum. Both have been unwilling to respond to multiple calls and letters from the Hays Free Press.
The Hays Free Press has also reached out to both Proctors through phone calls and emails. Their response, however, has been sparse. Proctor hand delivered a typed letter to the newspaper office but has not responded to emails or phone calls.
In an emailed response to Wayne Proctor, Gonzales affirmed the show would go on.
“At this point we will be moving forward,” Gonzales said in an email to Proctor.
He also asked Proctor to clarify that his claim of not attending was accurate.
“Mr.Gonzales, You can take my claim to the bank, four of the candidates prefer a different format,” Proctor replied.
With only two candidates attending, Gonzales said the chamber is re-assessing the candidate forum format. The BACC Candidate Forum is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. this evening, Oct. 16, at Buda City Hall.
