What Really Happened at the Candidate Forum in Gardendale Involving Kimberly Mayoral Candidates

After a long day of phone calls, emails, and good old-fashioned listening, we’re ready to break down what went down at last night’s candidate forum — minus the spin and with a little clarity.

We spoke directly with Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland. We emailed back and forth with the North Jefferson Chamber. We also heard from multiple eyewitnesses and a few folks who asked to remain anonymous. And after sorting through it all, the picture's pretty clear.

Let’s start with this: A young man — a recent high school grad, known and respected in the community, headed to the University of Alabama — stepped up to ask a simple question. He’s sharp, articulate, and by all accounts, has political aspirations of his own. Many in the crowd knew him. Many had heard him speak before and were impressed.

When it came time for candidate Mr. Dixon to finish his remarks, the young man asked something we’ve seen pop up in our own comments section:

Do you consider yourself more conservative or liberal leaning?

Now, to be clear — this was a paraphrase. Every person we talked to gave us some variation, but the spirit of the question was consistent. According to every single witness we spoke with, Mr. Dixon gave a reply along the lines of: “I can’t say because I’m in the military reserves.” Again — everyone remembers the same message, even if the wording varied slightly. And apparently, the young man just nodded. No follow-up. No pushback. Just moved on.

Now here’s where we pause to say a few words directly, from the RDFC:

Let’s not dance around this.

Mr. Dixon has dodged this question more times than a road commissioner dodges a pothole during campaign season. Online. In person. And now, wrapped in military fatigues trying to claim he can’t answer.

Let’s set the record straight.

Yes — military members can’t use their uniforms, ranks, or positions to endorse candidates or campaign while in service. That’s fair. But there’s nothing — absolutely nothing — stopping a reservist from stating whether they’re conservative or liberal when they’re running for office.

In fact, if you’re on the ballot, you owe it to the voters to be honest.

Ducking the question isn’t just weak — it’s misleading. Especially when you show up to Republican events, speak under Republican banners, and rub elbows with party officials… all while refusing to say the word “conservative.” That’s not military discretion — that’s political theater.

Let’s call it what it is: cosplay conservatism.

You can’t dress up like a cowboy, swagger into the rodeo, and then tell everyone you’re just here to enjoy the funnel cakes. Voters aren’t stupid. If you walk like a Democrat, vote like a Democrat, and dodge like a Democrat — well, we can all do the math.

It’s a growing trend — candidates in red areas trying to slip past the radar by wearing just enough red to confuse the room. But you can’t fool all the people all the time.

Now — back to the forum.

When the event ended, things took a turn.

Mr. Kalina, a man some folks may recognize from his involvement in local politics (despite not living in the city), made a beeline toward the young man who asked the question. According to all accounts, Kalina approached in an aggressive and loud manner. Nobody we spoke with was close enough to hear every word at the start, but whatever he was saying, it didn’t sit well. The young man reportedly called out:

“Stan, come over here — this guy is cussing me out!”

That’s when Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland stepped in, moving across the room to place himself between Kalina and the young man. According to witnesses, Mayor Hogeland attempted to deescalate the situation and told Kalina it was time to leave.

Somewhere in this exchange, Kalina allegedly snapped at the young man again, shouting something along the lines of: “I won’t allow you to disrespect a veteran that way!”

That might’ve been about the question — or maybe just misdirected anger. Either way, it escalated.

Then an elderly female who was the event organizer chimed in, trying to cool things off. But instead of calming down, Kalina reportedly raised his voice at her too. That was the final straw. Mayor Hogeland turned to law enforcement and directed officers to remove Kalina from the building and from the property.

Now — we haven’t obtained the police report yet, but multiple sources confirm it exist. We're working on securing a copy through official channels.

There’s also a piece we can’t ignore. Some witnesses say Kalina, on his way out, accused candidate Mashburn of putting the young man up to asking the question — calling it “disrespectful.”

Let’s be clear — there’s zero evidence that’s true. And Mr. Mashburn deserves better than that kind of baseless accusation.

Now here’s the bigger concern:

Mr. Kalina currently sits on the Public Policy Committee for the North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. A committee that has a direct hand in organizing candidate forums. A committee that, in theory, is supposed to remain neutral — or at the very least, act with professionalism.

But instead, Kalina has spent weeks publicly attacking candidates he doesn’t like and praising those he does — all while sitting in a leadership role for an organization many people still see as nonpartisan.

We’ve reached out to the Chamber several times, warning them of Kalina’s behavior and the way it could reflect on their organization. To their credit, they’ve responded — but so far, no clear statement. No confirmation on whether action will be taken.

We respect the Chamber. We’ve supported them in the past. We still hope to.

But we also believe that if you’re going to play a role in shaping public conversations — especially around elections — then your integrity matters. And your silence does too.

We’ll end with this:

This story isn’t just about one man getting rowdy. It’s about what we allow, who we trust to lead, and whether we still believe character counts — even when the cameras are off and the microphones are gone.

We’re not perfect, but we’re watching. And we’ll keep asking questions.

Stay tuned.

– The Real Doss Ferry Chronicle