Organizers of the 1st Congressional District's forum in Springfield are urging U.S. Representative Richard Neal, D-Springfield, to participate in the event with his two opponents, Jeromie Whalen and Nadia Milleron.
Neal called the forum "deceitful" alleging it's "organized by the opposing campaign." But volunteer coordinator, Erica Swallow, — who has supported Whalen in online posts, said the forum, put together by 40 Springfield organizations, is nonpartisan and a way for residents to hear more directly from the candidates, especially in today's political climate.
"For Congressman Neal, as an incumbent in the First Congressional District, it is his responsibility to come to his constituents and say, here is my vision for getting us out of this mess. I've been in office for 37 years, here's what I plan to do differently,” Swallow said.
Neal has told NEPM he "engages with voters regularly all over the district." His issue with the forum stems largely from donations made by Wesley Weidemann, who is an organizer of the forum, to Neal's opponent, Jeromie Whalen, and his campaign.
"This is about your credibility and when you enter into negotiations for forums or debates you have to be believed," Neal said. " We will not participate in any effort organized by your opponent. I don't know anybody in public life who would do that."
In an open letter sent to several media outlets Swallow addressed Neal directly.
"I want Congressman Neal to know that the two volunteers [Swallow and Weidemann] his campaign asked to step aside both voted for him in the last election. One is an 83-year-old retiree living in a Sixteen Acres retirement community, and the other is a 40-year-old small business owner living in Forest Park. We are not political operatives. We are two constituents, among many, who volunteered our time to help create a fair, public forum where every candidate would be treated equally," she wrote.
Weidemann has offered to step down from his role, so Neal can participate.
“An individual volunteer contributing as an individual to a campaign is absolutely not the same thing as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization organizing a forum, making a contribution,” Swallow said. “None of the [participating] organizations have made contributions to or spoken up in support of, or endorsement of any one of the candidates. And that will not happen because we all abide by the regulations for which non-profits need to operate.”
Neal said the organizers are trying to walk back their previous "misleading statements" about who the organizers of the forum support.
"And now you have the same individuals saying that while they set the fire, they now want to call the fire department," he said. "I believe that they should be fair, impartial and certainly transparent."
Swallow adds the forum is meant to help residents in the community get registered to vote and keep people civically engaged. The forum is still scheduled to take place on Aug. 11.
Milleron, running as an independent in the November election, and Whalen, who will face Neal in the primary in September, have both said they plan to attend the forum.
NEPM's Elizabeth Román contributed to this report.
