Mixing Alcohol, Politics & A Plea Deal

Moreau’s Absence From County Judge Forum Examined

Fayette County Judge candidate Craig Moreau did not attend the Republican Party candidate forum at the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce Community Center last Sunday, Jan. 18.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Moreau said he was unfairly “excluded” from the event. Fayette County Republican Party Chairman Michael Schlabach denies that claim. Schlabach, who also serves as president of the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce, said Moreau failed to show on his own accord.

The dispute arose over alcohol sales at the venue.

Back on Aug. 13 of last year, Moreau accepted a plea deal for 10 years on deferred adjudication for unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. The criminal charge stems from an accidental shooting on July 28 at Popz Star Bar in La Grange that seriously wounded a local woman, Susan Williams. The terms of Moreau’s community supervision prohibit him from certain places that sell alcohol.

“According to forum organizers and party officials, beer sales were required to raise money for the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce,” the Moreau campaign said in the statement issued on Sunday. “Based on that decision, Mr. Moreau was not permitted to participate. In an effort to ensure the forum could proceed without distraction and that voters could hear from every candidate, Mr. Moreau offered to personally donate funds to the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce to offset any potential revenue concerns. That offer was declined.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Moreau said about a week or two before the forum, his attorney asked the new visiting prosecutor handling the case if Moreau could attend the forum in Ellinger. Moreau said he was informed last Friday that he could attend as long as no alcohol would be served. That was two days before the event.

Schlabach told the Record that Moreau contacted him last Friday afternoon, Jan. 16, asking for changes to the event. Schlabach said Moreau offered to make a donation in lieu of the hall selling alcohol. Schlabach said the Ellinger Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at no charge to the Fayette County Republican Party, and that concession sales, including alcohol, helped the Chamber offset the cost of hosting the event. Schlabach said all of the candidates knew the dates and locations of the forums since December, and that the Ellinger hall has hosted election forums in the past with alcohol sales. Moreover, Schlabach said he did not know Moreau had any restrictions on visiting the hall.

“It never came to mind because, in October, on National Night Out, Craig Moreau was in our hall,” Schlabach said in an interview with the Record on Tuesday. “While beer was being served, walking around with his daughter, shaking hands, without a care in the world.

“The reason he could not come, I guess, is that he found out his probation would not let him,” Schlabach added. “There is nothing we did about that.”

Additionally, Schlabach said he was concerned about the legal implications of accepting a donation from a candidate in exchange for a special favor. Schlabach said he spoke with a Republican Party state official who advised him such an arrangement could be considered election interference.

“The other four candidates, what were they to think,” Schlabach said. “You know what? This guy got to pay a little bit of money to make sure that it was open for him. What else is going on?”

Moreau disagreed with Schlabach’s assessment.

“I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been to law school,” Moreau said. “I don’t think that holds water. If you can show me one statutory case in the whole United States where a (nonprofit organization) got in trouble for not selling beer, then I’ll buy you dinner.

Moreau said forum organizers made accommodations for other candidates by changing the date of the Ellinger forum. At first, it was supposed to take place on Saturday, Jan. 17, which would have conflicted with the Round Top Family Library’s Chili Cookoff.

“They made an accommodation for the Round Top Chili Cookoff, and I applaud that,” Moreau said. “You should make changes when it makes sense to make changes. I love the library and I’m so glad they did that. You should make accommodations. And I didn’t even need them to change the location. I had permission from the prosecutor if they did not sell beer. And I offered to cover the profit loss.

“Now if he would have hung one candidate’s banner outside and not the other, then he’s absolutely right,” Moreau added. “You could almost make the exact same argument for an exclusion, that excluding could get you in trouble. I don’t have any animosity towards Schlabach. I’m not saying he’s the devil. But I do think that the people need to hear all the candidates and all the ideas.”

Schlabach pushed back on the notion that Republican Party officials attempted to exclude Moreau, given Moreau’s notoriety over his recent legal travails.

“Why would we want to not have the most wellknown candidate there, who’s out there more than anyone?” Schlabach asked. “Why would you not want him there? He’s going to bring people there. That’s crazy on his part just to even insinuate that.

“It’s like going to a NASCAR race,” Schlabach continued. “You don’t go because you want to see the cars go around the track. You go because you want to see a big wreck.”

Moreau said he didn’t like the analogy, but he called it a “valid point.”

“I also think that’s the reason I’m being attacked so heavily because at least one of the candidates, who’s pushing a lot of this, is convinced I’m the front-runner or at least a strong contender to win,” Moreau said. “They’re not attacking the ones they’re not worried about.”

Moreau said he hopes to participate in the remaining forums. “Worst case scenario, in future forums, there will be a Zoom setup, or best case scenario, I’ll be there in person,” Moreau said.

Schlabach said he’s not opposed to Moreau participating in the future forums via videoconference such as Zoom.