League City Council Position 2 incumbent Tommy Cones and challenger Gregory Van Etten are trading accusations of misconduct at a polling location ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Cones called police Oct. 20 while both candidates were campaigning at the Public Works Operation Center, 1701 W. League City Parkway, as first reported by The Galveston County Daily News. He told dispatchers Van Etten was causing "grief" but did not use the word harassment during the call, according to the League City Police Department's (LCPD) call-for-service document.

No police report was filed. Jose Ortega, an LCPD public information officer, told the Daily News that the responding officer determined no criminal offense had occurred. Both candidates were advised to stay apart and keep the peace, Ortega said.

The dispute spilled into the Oct. 27 League City Council meeting, where Cones accused Van Etten of harassment. He alleged Van Etten repeatedly interrupted his conversations with voters and would not leave him alone despite requests.

Van Etten rejected that account. He said his comments were corrections to claims Cones made about him and did not amount to harassment. Van Etten accused Cones of telling voters he was a Democrat. "When he's lying to these voters to scare them into voting for him by calling me a Democrat, I'm going to correct that every single time," Van Etten told the Daily News.

The Position 2 race is nonpartisan. Cones stated in a candidate questionnaire that he is a Republican who has voted in every Republican primary since 2006. Van Etten's party affiliation does not appear in available candidate records.

Cones also raised concerns about Van Etten's arrest record. Van Etten disputed Cones' characterization, telling the Daily News the charge was for domestic violence stemming from a 2014 dispute with his father. Van Etten said his father later wrote to the district attorney requesting the charge be dropped.

The two candidates also gave conflicting accounts of what the responding officer said Oct. 20. Cones alleged the officer warned Van Etten to leave him alone. Van Etten said the officer was polite, did not try to identify him and left after finding no crime.

Cones, a retired firefighter with a 47-year career, has served on the council since November 2022. He has cited his 13 years of council experience as a key difference from Van Etten.

Voters in the Position 2 race head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3.