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At 6:30, the forum’s scheduled start time, challenger Pat Dowell was sitting by herself at the candidates’ table, facing a restless audience of more than 200 people. By 6:40 she was in the lobby conferring with her staff and event organizers. At 6:45 one of the organizers stepped to the podium. “One of the candidates has a conflict and sent a surrogate,” he said. “The other candidate is discussing how to proceed.”
“I think tonight demonstrates exactly why we need change in this ward,” Dowell said. “I was here to have a candidates’ forum, not a surrogates’ forum.” She left the room.
Word spread that Tillman was planning to attend the monthly meeting of the Gap Community Organization, just about a mile away; the group had invited the candidates from the Second and Third Wards to make a few remarks. About a half hour later, as she strolled into the event, Tillman brushed aside questions about her failure to show up for the Urban League’s forum, which had been scheduled since shortly after the first round of balloting on February 27. “They knew I wasn’t going to be there,” Tillman said. “I never confirmed.”
