You can get a better understanding of local legislative and county commission candidates by attending a public forum at Stringer Fine Arts Center the evening of Oct. 11, but you won’t get an accurate and total picture of who is running unless the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce and local NAACP change their mind.
The session would be much more valuable if sponsors would reverse their decision excluding of Cris Corey from a public exchange over who is the best candidate to serve on a Hutchinson position on the Reno County Commission. Yes, Corey was originally asked to participate then disinvited by Chamber President Debra Teufel. It boils down to a fairness issue, considering Corey only lost the Republican primary in August by two tallies to Randy Parks out of 3014 votes. Winning a race by requiring people to write in your name without being printed on the ballot is nearly impossible so, in reality, Parks has little likelihood of not being elected. He could easily show he is the gracious, God fearing man he says he is by telling the Chamber he’s OK with having Corey participate.
Forums like this are held to let voters better understand candidates along their respective goals and positions. There’s a sizeable philosophical difference between Parks and Corey. Who among us, if we only lost a by two votes, wouldn’t welcome an opportunity to persuade voters in the other party along with our own to have an opportunity to change the outcome?
An argument being used to keep Corey out of the joint appearance is that enabling write-ins to take part is unprecedented, which is true, but perhaps it’s time for a new precedent, based on overall fairness and better informing voters.
Parks supporter and state representative Paul Waggoner made the call convincing Teufel to switch positions and says the Chamber was “totally correct” because Corey is “not entitled to a forum as a write in.” Waggoner and others in the Republican camp consider the local insurance agent, backed by powerful local business interests, “kind of a pall” candidate of the Chamber, which in its effort not to show favoritism is doing the public and voters a real dis-serve by not allowing them to see the huge contrast between county commission candidates.
Corey says he is “disappointed but understands” the Chamber’s decision. He would welcome another reversal or another forum in which both he and Parks would participate.
If it doesn’t happen, voters will be the loser by not being able to hear and choose from sharply differing viewpoints that will prevail for at least the next four years on the county commission.
Parks has said in campaign flyers: “This is not a political debate. This is a battle of good vs. evil. God vs. Satan…God wins.” I’m relatively sure Parks isn’t God and Corey isn’t Satan. Anyone campaigning on such a platform and putting out charts showing his opponent is all “special interests” while wrapping himself in the American flag has some explaining to do. Including Cris Corey in the Oct. 11 forum would be a good start.
