Should local Democrats give Republican candidates time to speak?

[Shipwack]

This has been bugging me for a week. I've finally written the county chair of the local Democratic Party organization, but I wanted to get some other feedback.

Due to my work schedule, I can't attend my local meetings for the county Democratic Party. I still try to keep up with local issues, though. Last week I got my monthly party email, and saw this:

To accommodate Sen. Gutierrez schedule, we have moved the meeting to 6:30pm instead of the normal 7pm start time! Light refreshments will be served. You can learn how to plug into your local county party. Our speakers will be Senator Roland Gutierrez, Eric Hanke and Jeff "Gogo" Gogolewski.

Jeff is running in the Republican Primary to be the next sheriff of the Bastrop County Sheriff's Department. He will relate the changes he would like to make in the department.

WTF? A Republican is being platformed at the Democratic Party County meeting? Even if we aren't running anyone to oppose the Republicans (and it appears we aren't, if I'm reading our primary ballot correctly) I see no reason to give him eyeballs.

Am I just ignorant on how things are run at the local level, or does anyone else find it odd? This is Bastrop County, by the way.