A forum for Cobb County school board candidates became a one-sided affair Tuesday night as only the Democratic candidates were present, leaving some attendees disappointed. The event, held at the Switzer Library in Marietta, was intended to give voters a chance to hear from all candidates running for the board. However, the absence of Republican candidates quickly became the focus of the evening.
The Cobb County GOP took to X (formerly known as Twitter) ahead of the forum to claim that Republican candidates had not been invited, sparking confusion. The post described the event as a “fake school board candidate forum” hosted by Democrats. However, Meiling Jabbaar, a representative from the event’s co-host, redefinED Atlanta, disputed this claim, explaining that Republican candidates had been contacted multiple times starting in July but failed to respond.
Of the Republican candidates running for Posts 1, 5, and 7, only incumbent Brad Wheeler offered an explanation, citing a prior campaign engagement. The other candidates, John Cristadoro and Randy Scamihorn, did not comment.
The forum, hosted by a coalition of organizations including Cobb Collaborative and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., was moderated by Chelsey McNeil from 11Alive. The four Democratic candidates—Vickie Benson (Post 1), Laura Judge (Post 5), Andrew Cole (Post 7), and Leroy Tre’ Hutchins (Post 3)—answered questions on key issues such as school safety, achievement gaps, and the district’s budget.
The event faced technical difficulties during the livestream but was recorded and is now available for viewing here.
