The Lompoc chapter of the nonpartisan Association of American University Women (AAUW) held a forum of candidates running for the 4th District seat of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on March 24, but only one candidate showed up.
Eduardo “Eddie” Ozeta, the sole candidate running against 4th District incumbent Peter Adam, attended the forum, which moderator Dianne Owens changed to something of a town hall meeting after getting notice that Adam wasn’t going to attend.
Adam’s camp saw it as something else.
“That’s not a forum, that’s a platform,” said Bob Nelson, Adam’s chief of staff, referring to the way the forum was handled. He told the Sun that he refers to it as such since only one candidate participated. “That’s not fair.”
Ozeta told the Sun that the forum went well but should have included Adam.
“I kind of felt like the incumbent should have been there so we could have an open discussion,” Ozeta said.
Nelson told the Sun that Adam wanted to attend and tried to get the forum rescheduled. Nelson said he notified Owens that Adam wasn’t able to attend as soon as he received the invite—which was weeks in advance—since he had a prior obligation that had been scheduled a year in advance.
Just in case he changed his mind, Owens said she later called Adam directly to confirm he wouldn’t be able to attend. She said she was unable to reschedule the forum.
“We had the library already reserved,” Owens said. “We have a very busy schedule. Everybody on our board lives a pretty busy life. We just couldn’t do it.”
Owens is a former 4th District supervisor who served from 1988 to 1992 and is also the president for the Lompoc AAUW chapter.
Since only one candidate was participating, Lompoc Mayor Bob Lingl and former Lompoc Economic Development Committee member Janelle Osborne were added as speakers to round out the meeting, Owens said.
There was a question-and-answer period, then Lingl talked about the state of the city, and Osborne talked about her time on the city’s economic development committee.
“Otherwise it would have been short,” Owens said, adding that Lingl’s presence at the forum shouldn’t be confused with an endorsement. “Bob is not involved with the campaign, obviously.”
Lingl confirmed to the Sun he wasn’t stumping for any candidates.
The AAUW is sponsoring a forum for the 3rd District supervisorial race—which has five candidates—on April 13 at 7 p.m. at the Providence Landing clubhouse located at 697 Mercury Ave. in Vandenberg Village.
So far, none of the candidates have said they wouldn’t be able to attend, Owens said.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 7, 2016.