Bloomsburg University’s Talk of the Town Hall event caused some controversy last Tuesday night as the candidates for town council and mayor came together in a forum.
The forum focused on important student issues such as parking, block party, and town gown relations. Each candidate was asked to give their solution to the perceived student problems.
The controversy came towards the end of the forum as former mayor and current mayoral candidate Eric Bower was asked about his recent prostitution charges.
Although many thought that Mr. Bower’s response was well crafted, his campaign manager (who asked to remain anonymous) reportedly took large issue with the forum’s final line of questioning.
At the conclusion of the event, he seemed to get visibly upset as he confronted the elections forum team claiming that the final question was unfair, and that it was a blatant biased question against his client.
“I find it very ironic that that was the last question asked,” he said. “My client will not be back.”

“I find it very ironic that that was the last question asked,” he said. “My client will not be back.”
Although Bower’s management declined further comment on the matter, Bower had this to say regarding the question.
“I feel that to single me out at the end of the event was kind of weird… None of the other candidates were checked in the way that I was.”
Amid the recent allegations against him, Bower still claims his innocence. Despite the speculation, Bower claims that he was never found or pled guilty to the charge.
In addition, Bower also says that the woman who was involved in the alleged crime had a two-year relationship with him dating back to before the event took place.
The witnesses in the case were also found unreliable according to Bower, as one witness recanted her statement regarding the allegations.
“People attempted to create a scenario that simply did not exist,” said Bower. “Half the charges were dropped, and I believe that a number of witnesses were coerced.”
With the election approaching rapidly, Bower remains adamant to clear his name. As said in the election’s forum Bower has turned his life around and is looking forward to possibly being re-elected come early November.
Bower’s plans for flooding, and parking remain some of the most important issues he is looking to correct with a new term in 2019.
Even after his arrest, Bower claims that most of his interactions with Bloomsburg students are positive, and he is hoping for a bevy of students to come out and grace him with a vote come November 5.