One of the two runoff mayoral candidates in Red Level said he told organizers that he never planned to attend a Tuesday night debate.

Deborah Hoffman and Willie J. Hendrix will face each other on Oct. 9.

Tuesday’s event, which was sponsored by the Red Level Beautification Club, was labeled as a “mayoral debate,” said Hendrix’s campaign manager and current mayor Mike Purnell in a written statement to The Star-News.

“Mr. Hendrix said he was contacted only last Friday by Linda Castleberry on behalf of the RLBC to invite him to debate,” the statement read. “Candidate Hendrix told (Castleberry) that he would not participate in any debate.”

Purnell said he wanted the voting public to know Hendrix “told the club ‘no’ to their invitation from the very beginning.”