Foe Criticizes Mahon for Missing Forum

County auditor-controller candidate Stephen Maulhardt had been waiting for months for the chance to debate incumbent Tom Mahon.

But when the big night came at Wednesday’s televised Oxnard Chamber of Commerce forum, Maulhardt suffered a huge letdown: Mahon didn’t show up.

Mahon sent his top assistant, Christine Cohen, in his place.

“I really wanted to debate him bad,” Maulhardt said. “I think his not showing up is indicative of his approach to dealing with the public. He does not want to be accountable to the public.

“He pulled this four years ago, and Greg Stratton [the mayor of Simi Valley, who ran against Mahon in 1994 before being disqualified on a technicality] warned me it was going to happen. But I didn’t believe it because he has shown up to other events.”

Mahon said he did not attend the debate because he was busy preparing for a trip to New York.

“I had to put together materials for our [credit] rating trip to New York,” Mahon said.

“At times, you have to take care of your job, even when you are running for office.”

Maulhardt didn’t buy it.

“He seemed to have time during the middle of that day to spend two hours at a Republican women’s luncheon in Camarillo,” Maulhardt said.