In exactly one week, Enid voters will decide the fate of one of their own city commissioners in a recall election. | MORE | Enid city commissioner faces recall election over alleged white nationalist tiesJudd Blevins, the city commissioner for Ward 1, faced allegations of ties to white nationalist groups and neo-Nazi ideology. On Tuesday, he addressed some of those claims at a meeting. The meeting provided locals the opportunity to ask Blevins and his opponent, Cheryl Patterson, questions ahead of the April 2 recall election. Many of those questions were directed at Blevins. "As I said on Nov. 21, I am opposed to all forms of racial hate and discrimination," Blevins said. The city commissioner publicly defended himself when moderators asked about his past ties to white nationalist groups. One group, Identity Europa, was specifically named. "Frankly, pushing back on this anti-white hatred that is so common in media and entertainment," Blevins said. During the meeting, he acknowledged his presence at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and he offered an explanation. "Because I felt it was important to protest the removal of American statues, of American soldiers and figures. If they remove statues of men that fought in the Civil War, they’d move on to whoever they want," Blevins said. >> Download the KOCO 5 AppPatterson, who is running against Blevins, explained why she entered the race. "With national attention on my opponent’s recent involvement with a white nationalist group, I thought it was time to step forward," Patterson said. “I believe in respectful representation for all, regardless of race, political party, economic status or what side of town you live on."An Enid priest, alongside members of the Enid Social Justice Committee, spoke out about why they felt it was important to attend the meeting. “Not just for Enid, but because white nationalist groups from around the country are watching this and have been very involved in this conversation," said Father James Neal, the priest of the Holy Cross Orthodox Catholic Church. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.Next week, it will be down to voters to decide if the city commissioner keeps his seat. "To send a message to these groups around the country that you will not try to mainstream Nazi ideology without pushback, and that people like us will be there to fight for the soul of our communities," Neal said. Top Headlines Cargo ship hits Baltimore bridge, bringing it down; Rescuers looking for people in water Video shows moment when Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after cargo ship crash TIMELINE: Snow possible for parts of Oklahoma on Wednesday Drake gives $30,000 to Mustang woman with brain tumor during concert Baltimore collapse evokes memories of deadly Webbers Falls bridge collapse in 2002