8 Candidates Boycott Latino Election Forum

Angered by a change in format, eight Anaheim City Council candidates walked out of a weekend election forum sponsored by several local Latino groups.

On Monday, the Latino leaders who helped organize the event called the boycott a “slap in the face” and said that despite the format change the candidates should have stayed to answer questions.

“We had a right to structure it whatever way we saw fit,” said Amin David, president of Los Amigos of Orange County. “They totally disregarded our efforts.”

Saturday’s forum was sponsored by United Latinos of Anaheim, an umbrella group representing more than a dozen local organizations.

Candidates said they were expecting a public forum, with questions from the audience. Instead, only a few members of the public were present, and the candidates were informed that a panel would interview them separately, not as a group. Representatives from the United Latinos of Anaheim told them that after the interviews, they planned to choose whom they would endorse, something the candidates were not expecting.

“The whole thing was misleading,” council candidate Lucille Kring said. “We were brought there on false representation.”

The eight protesting candidates -- Kring, Robert Flores, George Johnson, John Karczynski, Craig Merrihue, Stefanie O’Neill, Harry Sidhu and Rubin Skipper -- issued a statement Monday alleging that forum organizers were “functioning as the personal advocate” of Lorri Galloway, the only candidate present who chose not to leave. Thirteen candidates are running for the council; four did not attend the event.

Sidhu said he believed the format was changed to “promote one person and trap the rest,” adding: “I felt very uncomfortable.” As evidence, they said that among the few people seen at Saturday’s event were Councilman Richard Chavez, who has endorsed Galloway; his council assistant; and Bob Cerince, who works at Eli Home children’s shelter, where Galloway is the executive director.

United Latinos has not endorsed any candidate. And even if Galloway rates high on their list, said Judith Sefarini of the Anaheim-based Latino group Solevar, it was shocking that the candidates walked out: “She’s one candidate, and there’s two seats.”

Organizer Rich Olquin said he wasn’t sure what to make of Saturday’s events, particularly because questions would have addressed issues such as housing and relations with police.

“I think in some sort of weird sense of unity, they all stormed out together,” Olquin said. “I am still trying to understand why there is so much disrespect and anger.”

Galloway said she was also surprised by the format, but decided to stay because Latinos represented about half of the city’s population.

“If you want to be elected in this city, you’d better be able to talk to Latino leaders,” she said. “Everyone who walked out of that room has no business leading the city.”

The candidates said they were prepared to talk to the community, but nobody showed up.

“You literally felt like you were being ramrodded into something,” Karczynski said. “It wasn’t a matter of slighting the Latino community. We were all there, dressed, prepared, ready to start a dialogue.”