Cavender\u2019s campaign manager, Brian Mayes, told KERA News he had prior campaign commitments. Mayes told both KERA News and the Arlington Report that Cavender wants to speak directly to voters but had not received an invitation to the forum. He said even if he had received that Feb. 16 email from Young Men for Arlington inviting him, it wouldn\u2019t have mattered as Cavender\u2019s campaign calendar was already full for March 4.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a conflict, but at any time he can speak to the voters and go through his principles and policies for Arlington, he would love that,\u201d Mayes said.<\/p>\n
Mayes said Cavender would appear at the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce\u2019s virtual candidate forum<\/a> on March 11 and at a later forum in April.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Young Men for Arlington President Todd Pagitt told the Arlington Report that he does not believe Cavender\u2019s nonappearance was related to scheduling conflicts. He said he thinks it was because Cavender\u2019s campaign was \u201cafraid of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Pagitt\u2019s comments came after Mayes decried posts from Young Men for Arlington members for partisanship and said the results of the forum, including the YMA\u2019s round of endorsements, would be \u201csort of predetermined.\u201d<\/p>\n Pagitt said his group emailed an invitation to what he was told was the Cavender campaign address Feb. 16 and received a confirmation via text from a supporter close to the campaign. That supporter did not return calls for comment.<\/p>\n Cavender\u2019s absence was noted by Pagitt at the beginning of the mayoral forum and emphasized by incumbent Mayor Jim Ross in his closing statements.<\/p>\n Screenshots of texts reviewed by the Arlington Report dated Feb. 15 show that the supporter told organizers the event was added to the candidate\u2019s calendar and that he would attend.<\/p>\n In the texts, the supporter sent the incorrect email to Pagitt, sending Jill@cavenderformayor.com, rather than Jill@cavenderforArlington.com<\/a>, which is listed on Cavender\u2019s candidate filing<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an interview the morning after the forum, Mayes said the supporter was not \u201crunning the campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n The supporter helped to look for events Cavender should attend, he said, but does not have access to the campaign calendar and serves in a \u201cfocus group\u201d role.<\/p>\n Courtesy photo<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Brian Mayes<\/p>\n Steve Cavender, the River Legacy Foundation board president, will run against incumbent Mayor Jim Ross in May.<\/p>\n Mayes added that he felt the forum didn\u2019t \u201cpass the smell test,\u201d saying that members of Young Men for Arlington had shown support for Ross online, which goes against the organization’s goal of being nonpartisan.<\/p>\n In response, Pagitt said, members of the Young Men for Arlington are of all political ideologies and are allowed to speak their mind in an individual capacity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are, as an organization, are in no way, shape or form partisan,\u201d Pagitt said. \u201cWe are actually extremely hyper nonpartisan. Some of our individual members have found Steve (Cavender) to be an objectionable candidate for his own merits.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to one social media comment questioning why Cavender was absent, his campaign Facebook account responded that there was a scheduling conflict, and said many residents want to hear from him because of the city\u2019s budget and a property tax increase last year.<\/p>\n At the end of the forum, Ross thanked opponents Shaun Mallory and Hunter Crow for attending the debate before criticizing Cavender for his absence.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to be mayor of the third-most diverse city in the country, whether you think they\u2019re your people or not, you need to show your butt up and confront them face to face and answer the questions,\u201d Ross said.<\/p>\n He told voters present at the forum that they \u201cdeserve better than not having all candidates up here.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are some of the upcoming candidate forums:<\/p>\n Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce: March 11<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arlington Republican Club: March 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Arlington Report also is in the process of organizing a candidate forum in April. The location and date will be announced soon.<\/p>\n Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n James Hartley is the Arlington Government Accountability Reporter for KERA News. Got a tip? Email James Hartley at jhartley@kera.org<\/a>. You can follow James on X @ByJamesHartley.<\/p>\n ![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1772771890_712_.jpeg\"\/)
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