An attempted boycott of the inaugural Smithville Review candidate forum amid rumors of question-fixing fell flat this past week with numerous candidates, including all three men vying for the county mayor nomination, sharing their ideas with voters at the forum. “We appreciate this time to get to speak directly to the voters,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray, incumbent and Republican nominee for the office, who attended the forum held Thursday at the County Complex. The forum, held in front of an audience of about 40 people, included county mayor Democratic hopefuls Tim Stribling, Bradley Hendrix and Mike Foster, along with Democratic commission hopefuls Joe Johnson, Beth Pafford and Independent William Rutherford, Sheriff Ray and aldermen Gayla Hendrix and Josh Miller, the latter who is seeking the office of Smithville mayor.