Conservative Republican Knoxville mayoral candidate Betsy Henderson and her Democrat opponent, Beau Hawk, met today at a lunchtime candidate forum at Oakwood Senior Living, located in the former Oakwood School in North Knoxville.

One interesting observation from the event involved local television station WBIR. While the station was present throughout the forum, the camera light only came on during the final question from a lady in attendance. As soon as the forum concluded, the WBIR crew immediately went to interview that citizen. I am eagerly awaiting their coverage to see what they report from today’s event.

The final audience question centered on Beau Hawk’s trip to Venezuela. Hawk responded that he had released a statement the previous evening. That raises an obvious question: why did it take nearly two weeks for that statement to be issued?

Hawk characterized the discussion as a “smear campaign.” Henderson responded that it was not a smear campaign but rather a matter of public record, including his attendance and the shirt he wore while there.

Hawk then attempted to shift the discussion by criticizing Henderson for traveling to Nashville in support of school choice legislation, claiming she supported taking money from public schools and opposed the will of the public. Henderson responded simply, “Yes, I stood for freedom.”

That comparison strikes me as juvenile. Henderson testified before a legislative body on a public policy issue. She did not have the authority to pass legislation herself. If she possessed that kind of influence to single-handedly enact school choice legislation, imagine the impact she could have as Knoxville’s mayor.

Meanwhile, Hawk’s actions involved voluntarily traveling to a foreign country whose government has long maintained an adversarial relationship with the United States.

The question remains: why did it take so long for Hawk to craft and release his response?

Looking back over the past six years provides an interesting contrast.

Six years ago, Beau Hawk left the United States during the pandemic and traveled to a volatile foreign country.

During that same period, Betsy Henderson began her service by running for the Knox County Board of Education. Since then, she has helped create 865 Academy and launched a literacy program that is now in its sixth series.

Over the past six years, Betsy Henderson has built initiatives within our community. Beau Hawk’s record during that same period includes his visit to Venezuela, a country whose government has maintained an adversarial stance toward the United States and has been associated with concerns about criminal organizations and drug trafficking affecting our country.

Watch the full 65-minute candidate forum presentation here: