No Debate for Smyrna Mayoral Candidates

Despite two public forums and at least one other attempt to conduct a third such meeting, the three candidates running for the office of mayor in Smyrna never got together to discuss the issues this campaign season.

Election Day is Tuesday and Smyrna voters will head to the polls to choose who will be their mayor for the next four years. , who was first elected as mayor in 1985, is facing challengers and .

Three weeks ago there were two failed efforts to get the three candidates together. At an Oct. 18 public forum sponsored by the Smyrna Business Association, Bacon showed at the event (along with 14 candidates for city council), but his opponents did not.

Backy explained to Patch prior to the meeting that he didn’t think he would get a “fair shake’’ at the forum. “That’s the downtown business group running that and it will be very slanted,’’ Backry said. “I don’t feel comfortable going up against (Bacon’s) group.’’

Two days later, the League of Women Voters Marietta-Cobb had scheduled a televised forum in Marietta. Woodham explained the day after the SBA forum that she didn’t attend that event at Brawner Hall because she felt it best to allow the city council candidates to have their time to speak since the public forum in Marietta would be for mayoral candidates only.

That same day, Bacon sent an email to Elizabeth Melville, co-president of the LWV Marietta-Cobb, explaining that he would not be attending the Marietta forum due to a family conflict. He did express interest to Melville in participating in a public forum in the Jonquil City prior to the election.

Backry, who ran unsuccessfully against Bacon in 2003 and 2007, and Woodham have both been long critics of the mayor and the city. Backry, a 30-year resident of Smyrna who worked for the city’s animal-control unit for four years before leaving in 2003, has been consistent in his criticism for more government transparency and town hall meetings. He also wants to eliminate wasteful spending.

Woodham has called for a need for term limits for officials (maximum eight years). She has also criticized city officials for mismanaging Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax money and not properly following through with redevelopment proposals.

At the Oct. 20 forum in Marietta, both candidates bashed the absent Bacon. Said Backry, “What you say is what you do and when you make a comment that you’re going to be here, you’re here. That’s called dependability. It’s a great opportunity here that was taken away from the citizens to ask questions.”

Added Woodham, “(Bacon) should have been here. He doesn’t speak much, so it’s hard to know what he wants his city to be for the next four years.’’

Last week, Patch made an attempt to get the three candidates in the same room together. The idea was that the three candidates and the Smyrna-Vinings Patch editor would meet at , where questions would be asked by the Patch editor and the candidates themselves. The conversation would be taped and posted in its entirety here at the Smyrna-Vinings Patch site.

Bacon and Woodham agreed, but Backry would not. The agreed upon date fell on his birthday and he said he had other plans. When given the opportunity to chose another day to meet, Backry again declined.

“I don’t feel comfortable in a small area with (Bacon),’’ said Backry. “There’s too much bad blood between us. He’s said too many disparaging remarks. I just don’t want to be around him.’’

Woodham expressed frustration to Patch that Backry would not participate. She indicated that would proceed with a meeting with the mayor, but only if a reporter from Cobb County News & Gossip would be allowed to attend, as well. That was unable to be arranged, but see here for a video interview that Woodham did with that media outlet last week.

Bacon, too, was disappointed that a discussion amongst the candidates did not occur this election season.

“This is twice in his own hometown that he has refused to sit in some form or type of setting and has refused to talk about these issues,’’ Bacon told Patch. “They say these things about me and the city and they have no idea what they’re talking about. According to Alex and Donna, I haven’t done anything right. It’s really unbelievable.’’

As far as term limits are concerned, Bacon said he would be open to change. “No city in Cobb County has term limits. But if it’s that big of an issue, we can put it on the ballot and people can vote on it.’’