Seventeen of the 18 candidates for May local elections in Arlington took on issues in the first candidate forums of the election cycle Wednesday night.
Mayoral candidate Steve Cavender, the president of the River Legacy Foundation, was the only candidate not in attendance at the long-running nonpartisan forum, which was hosted by the Young Men for Arlington. The organization is a “dedicated group of individuals committed to strengthening the fabric of our community through mentorship, service, and leadership development,” according to the YMA website.
Cavender’s campaign manager, Brian Mayes, told KERA News he had prior campaign commitments. Mayes told both KERA News and the Arlington Report that Cavender wants to speak directly to voters but had not received an invitation to the forum. He said even if he had received that Feb. 16 email from Young Men for Arlington inviting him, it wouldn’t have mattered as Cavender’s campaign calendar was already full for March 4.
“There was a conflict, but at any time he can speak to the voters and go through his principles and policies for Arlington, he would love that,” Mayes said.
Mayes said Cavender would appear at the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s virtual candidate forum on March 11 and at a later forum in April.
On Thursday, Young Men for Arlington President Todd Pagitt told the Arlington Report that he does not believe Cavender’s nonappearance was related to scheduling conflicts. He said he thinks it was because Cavender’s campaign was “afraid of the conversation.”
Pagitt’s comments came after Mayes decried posts from Young Men for Arlington members for partisanship and said the results of the forum, including the YMA’s round of endorsements, would be “sort of predetermined.”
Pagitt said his group emailed an invitation to what he was told was the Cavender campaign address Feb. 16 and received a confirmation via text from a supporter close to the campaign. That supporter did not return calls for comment.
Cavender’s absence was noted by Pagitt at the beginning of the mayoral forum and emphasized by incumbent Mayor Jim Ross in his closing statements.
Screenshots of texts reviewed by the Arlington Report dated Feb. 15 show that the supporter told organizers the event was added to the candidate’s calendar and that he would attend.
In the texts, the supporter sent the incorrect email to Pagitt, sending Jill@cavenderformayor.com, rather than Jill@cavenderforArlington.com, which is listed on Cavender’s candidate filing.
In an interview the morning after the forum, Mayes said the supporter was not “running the campaign.”
The supporter helped to look for events Cavender should attend, he said, but does not have access to the campaign calendar and serves in a “focus group” role.
Mayes added that he felt the forum didn’t “pass the smell test,” saying that members of Young Men for Arlington had shown support for Ross online, which goes against the organization's goal of being nonpartisan.
In response, Pagitt said, members of the Young Men for Arlington are of all political ideologies and are allowed to speak their mind in an individual capacity.
“We are, as an organization, are in no way, shape or form partisan,” Pagitt said. “We are actually extremely hyper nonpartisan. Some of our individual members have found Steve (Cavender) to be an objectionable candidate for his own merits.”
In response to one social media comment questioning why Cavender was absent, his campaign Facebook account responded that there was a scheduling conflict, and said many residents want to hear from him because of the city’s budget and a property tax increase last year.
At the end of the forum, Ross thanked opponents Shaun Mallory and Hunter Crow for attending the debate before criticizing Cavender for his absence.
“If you want to be mayor of the third-most diverse city in the country, whether you think they’re your people or not, you need to show your butt up and confront them face to face and answer the questions,” Ross said.
He told voters present at the forum that they “deserve better than not having all candidates up here.”
Here are some of the upcoming candidate forums:
Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce: March 11.
Arlington Republican Club: March 25.
The Arlington Report also is in the process of organizing a candidate forum in April. The location and date will be announced soon.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
James Hartley is the Arlington Government Accountability Reporter for KERA News. Got a tip? Email James Hartley at jhartley@kera.org. You can follow James on X @ByJamesHartley.
