The two candidates running for the Colonie town supervisor are expected to debate Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road.
That date is the second one scheduled and comes less than a week after a press release was sent out by the Colonie Chamber of Commerce announcing the debate would be taking place on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The new date was announced following a Monday, Oct. 5, meeting of the Colonie Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters, the debate sponsors, and representatives of both candidates.
The Colonie Chamber of Commerce is pleased to co-sponsor the debate with the League of Women Voters, said Tom Nolte, chamber president, in a press release following the original announcement. `We feel this is a great opportunity for both the Colonie residential and business community to learn more from both candidates on important town issues prior to Election Day.`
The announcement that there would be a debate on Oct. 21 was made by the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, Sept. 29, but shortly after the release came out, it was still uncertain whether incumbent Democrat Paula Mahan and Republican hopeful Mike Hoblock would engage in a debate on that date.
According to Dan Farrell, campaign manager for Hoblock, campaign officials were notified Friday, Oct. 2, that Mahan would not be able to attend the Oct. 21 debate.
According to Democratic Committee Chairman Rich Jacobson, Mahan could not make the debate on Oct. 21 because she has a budget presentation the following day and needed the night before to prepare.
The Colonie Democratic Committee called the first debate announcement a `huge miscommunication,` citing confusion over which dates Mahan would be available. The supervisor was not at the meeting at which the Oct. 21 date was set and did have a time conflict, her campaign spokesman said.
Nolte was not available for comment on the confusion surrounding the debate schedule, but in an e-mail he sent to both the Democratic and Republican committees, he asked if everyone could meet Monday to discuss it.
By Monday afternoon, Farrell said, a new date was chosen, but he added that the candidates would have to sign off on the new time. By Tuesday, both candidates agreed to the Oct. 28 date.
Farrell said Hoblock and other Republican candidates would still be meeting for a town forum at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as that was the original date they promised the public they would come out and speak about town issues.
`The reason why we’re doing it on the 21st is because that’s the day we were scheduled to be there, and we’re committed to being there,` said Farrell.
Farrell said the Republicans will discuss `the truth about the deficit picture, the mistakes Paula Mahan has made since taking office that have worsened the deficit, and any other issues that the public would like to discuss.`
Farrell said that Mahan would be invited to engage in a debate on that date, but whether or not she attends, Hoblock would still be talking about those issues.
Phil Steck, campaign spokesman for Mahan, said that he did not know many of the details about the Republicans’ event on Oct. 21, but that the Democrats would not be participating in political games.
`I don’t know anything about what the Republicans are trying to do in an effort to engage in political theater,` he said. `If they had any real issues in this race, they would be raising the real issues instead of raising the fact that Paula is refusing to debate when, in fact, she is debating.`
Steck also added that he thinks that holding this is `insulting to the voters.`
The debate is sponsored by the Colonie Chamber of Commerce and League of Women Voters. A moderator has not been chosen yet.
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