KENOSHA, Wis. — Nearly 200 people packed the gorgeous ballroom at The Stella Hotel & Ballroom Thursday night for the Kenosha County Sheriff Republican Primary Forum hosted by Kenosha County Eye. About 150 chairs had been set up for the event, but that was not enough. For much of the night, the forum was standing room only, with residents lining the walls and standing in the back of the room while more than 10,000 additional viewers watched online across multiple platforms.

The elephant in the room was not just Sheriff David Zoerner’s absence.

It was the empty chair on stage with his name tag in front of it.

While Capt. James Beller of the Kenosha Police Department and Capt. Tony Gonzalez of the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office answered tough questions for nearly two hours, the sitting sheriff’s chair remained vacant. Zoerner did not respond to the invitation until the day before the forum, when he told moderator Brian Filiatreault he would not participate. The moderator’s script noted that the forum had been scheduled to include all three Republican candidates, but Zoerner declined all participation options.

Zoerner ultimately chose not to attend the forum. Instead, he appeared at a county budget vision meeting that had been rescheduled multiple times before ultimately landing on the same date and time as the sheriff’s forum. Public records reviewed by Kenosha County Eye show the scheduling was coordinated between Zoerner and County Executive Samantha Kerkman, creating a direct conflict between the two events.

The Stella Hotel & Ballroom graciously donated the space to the community so voters could hear directly from the candidates. The ballroom was beautiful, the staff was excellent, and the venue once again showed why it is one of Kenosha’s gems. The Stella also features beautiful hotel rooms, the exquisite restaurant 1844 Table & Mash, and a popular unlimited soup-and-salad buffet during weekday lunches. Kenosha County Eye thanks The Stella for donating the space and helping make the public forum possible.

The evening opened with brief remarks from Republican candidates Valerie Kretchmer, who is running for the 65th Assembly District, and Sandy Wiedmeyer, who is running for the 11th Senate District. Both women spoke about their platforms and answered several questions from the moderator before the sheriff’s forum began.

Before the sheriff’s forum began, Cheryl McCrary, All-American Mrs. Wisconsin Lady, performed the National Anthem. Her rendition was warmly received by the crowd and helped set a patriotic tone for the evening before the candidates took the stage.

Kenosha County Eye Publisher Kevin Mathewson welcomed the crowd and explained that moderator Brian Filiatreault had complete control over the questions. Mathewson also warned attendees that the candidates would face difficult questions, but expressed confidence that both men would be able to handle them.

Captain James Beller is a lifelong Kenosha County resident, U.S. Army veteran, and law enforcement leader with nearly 30 years of public safety experience. Raised in Paddock Lake and a graduate of Westosha Central High School, he currently serves as Captain of the Detective Bureau for the Kenosha Police Department. He holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, is a graduate of the Wisconsin Command College, and completed the FBI National Academy.

Captain Tony Gonzalez has spent nearly two decades serving with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office. During his career, he has served in patrol, detentions, administration, and command-level leadership positions. Gonzalez has built his campaign around improving communication, employee morale, leadership, and public safety while drawing upon his extensive experience within the Sheriff’s Office.

The questions were not softballs.

Beller and Gonzalez were asked about jail staffing, mandatory overtime, burnout, morale, favoritism, inconsistent discipline, internal politics, rural policing, work release, electronic monitoring, traffic enforcement, accountability, and leadership failures inside the Sheriff’s Office.

Both candidates answered with poise.

Neither candidate appeared rattled. Neither candidate spent the night attacking the other. Instead, both men repeatedly acknowledged problems within the current administration and described how they would try to fix them.

One of Gonzalez’s strongest moments came during a discussion about communication failures inside the Sheriff’s Office. Rather than defending the status quo, Gonzalez acknowledged that communication problems were real and said that even as a captain, he often found himself learning about important decisions after they had already been made. Gonzalez argued that if command staff members are not being included in major discussions, it should not surprise anyone that deputies, correctional officers, and other employees feel disconnected from leadership. He repeatedly returned to the themes of communication, trust, and rebuilding morale.

One of Beller’s strongest answers came during a discussion about the Sheriff’s Office participation in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program.

Beller pointed to the death of Deputy Frank Fabiano and argued that immigration enforcement is a public-safety issue, not a political issue. Beller specifically referenced Deputy Frank Fabiano, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had previously been ordered deported but remained in the United States. Beller argued that cases like Fabiano’s demonstrate the real-world consequences that can occur when immigration laws are not enforced and dangerous individuals who should not be in the country remain here. He said local law enforcement has a responsibility to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and made clear that under his administration the Sheriff’s Office would continue participating in 287(g).

“If we can get rid of criminals that shouldn’t be here, we’re going to do it,” Beller said.

Both candidates pledged to continue the 287(g) agreement.

Both acknowledged morale issues within the Sheriff’s Office.

Both discussed staffing shortages.

Both talked about the need to improve communication between administration and employees.

Both stressed accountability and transparency.

In many respects, Beller and Gonzalez sounded more like two men offering different solutions to the same problems than political opponents trying to destroy one another.

The contrast between the candidates was not whether change was needed, but how that change should occur.

Beller repeatedly emphasized his outsider perspective as a longtime Kenosha police officer.

Gonzalez emphasized his experience within the Sheriff’s Office and his firsthand knowledge of the agency’s challenges.

The cordial relationship between the candidates was evident throughout the evening. While Beller and Gonzalez each argued they were the better choice to lead the Sheriff’s Office, neither spent much time criticizing the other. At the conclusion of the forum, the two men shook hands and exchanged a warm hug, a fitting end to a debate that featured sharp questions but little personal animosity.

At the end of the debate, Filiatreault closed with a line that drew a strong reaction from the audience.

“Accountability only works when leaders show up. Two candidates did. One did not.”

Zoerner’s absence remained a topic of discussion long after the debate ended.

During the forum, the sheriff released a statement explaining why he chose not to participate. In that statement, Zoerner suggested he was not comfortable participating in the event and criticized Kenosha County Eye’s coverage of his administration.

The statement prompted a response from Filiatreault.

“I appreciate being mentioned in the Sheriff’s statement; however, the word ‘comfortable’ did not reflect the support, trust, and professional relationship I believed existed, and I found the wording unexpected and disappointing,” Filiatreault said.

“To clarify, the Sheriff’s decision not to participate was not related to my fairness; the debate was respectful, structured, and attended largely by Republicans supporting Republicans. It is well known that the Kenosha County Eye has been a critic of the Sheriff, and the debate offered an opportunity to address those criticisms directly and speak to voters in a transparent setting. While I respect his choice, it was an opportunity for open dialogue that simply didn’t happen.”

Filiatreault also emphasized that Mathewson did not write the questions and that he offered to share questions and even the full script in advance if Zoerner chose to participate.

The sheriff’s absence generated significant discussion online.

What made the reaction notable was that it largely followed existing political lines.

Democrats defended Zoerner, who previously ran for sheriff as a Democrat and has long been viewed by many local political observers as a Democrat despite currently seeking office as a Republican.

Rebecca Antaramian, a Democrat whose husband is Kenosha Police Sgt. Benjamin Antaramian, defended Zoerner, writing, “Nobody with any common sense blames you for not wanting to attend a clown show.”

Sgt. Antaramian personally arrested Kyle Rittenhouse following the shootings in Kenosha and publicly expressed his belief that Rittenhouse should be convicted of murder and sent to prison.

Teresa Smith, another Democrat and a Kenosha Unified School District employee whose recent suspension for misconduct and prior criminal history were previously reported by Kenosha County Eye, also supported Zoerner.

“Let’s go Sheriff Zoerner!” Smith wrote. “So proud of all the elected officials who are standing up for the citizens rights of Kenosha County! There isn’t any room for bullies that throw temper tantrums when they don’t get their way! You have enough supporters to vote for you without attending a forum where you will be personally attacked!”

Another Democrat who publicly supported Zoerner’s decision not to attend was Matt Mortensen. Mortensen wrote, “Great idea. I would not participate in anything hosted by the blogger. All he wants to do is find a way to discredit you.”

Mortensen is currently free on felony bail in a pending OWI 4th Offense case. Like Smith and Antaramian, Mortensen publicly defended Zoerner’s decision to skip the forum while several Republicans criticized the sheriff for declining to appear.

Republicans, meanwhile, were among the most vocal critics of Zoerner’s decision not to attend the forum.

Former conservative Kenosha Unified School District board member Kristine Schmaling criticized the sheriff’s absence, referencing the earlier Pints and Politics mini-forum where only a handful of questions were asked.

“Pints and politics only touched on 4 topics…4 or 5 questions. We were hoping to hear more from every candidate,” Schmaling wrote.

Conservative Cody James also criticized Zoerner.

“Sorry to hear that,” James wrote. “Unfortunately, you’ve provided no real public refutation of the very public critiques of your office, including by your other competitors. I really would like to hear your side of things, but it makes it hard when you won’t publicize it, like attending this forum.”

Conservative Candace Rae wrote, “Disappointing. The whole point is for the candidates to discuss things and debate. Not hold separate events so they never discuss their ideas or policies.”

James Jay, a Republican, was even more direct.

“What a coward move,” Jay wrote.

Zoerner’s decision to attend the budget vision meeting rather than the sheriff’s forum remained a point of criticism throughout the evening.

The broader political reality for Zoerner has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

Zoerner’s entire command staff — Chief Deputy Justin Miller and all three captains — signed a letter rejecting him.

Between 98 and 99 percent of the voting members of the Kenosha Deputy Sheriff’s Association rejected the sheriff.

Almost all corrections officers and direct supervision officers also rejected him.

Many in the community now view Zoerner’s campaign as essentially moot. The common consensus is that either Beller or Gonzalez will be the next sheriff.

Thursday night’s forum only strengthened that perception.

Beller and Gonzalez showed up.

They answered hard questions.

They spoke respectfully of each other.

They laid out remarkably similar concerns about the state of the Sheriff’s Office.

And for nearly two hours, the empty chair with Zoerner’s name tag sat beside them as the clearest symbol of the night.