Letter from Hudi Podolsky

No Excuse for No Debate

How can voters make informed choices if candidates refuse to debate? The League of Women Voters has long been trusted to take a completely non-partisan approach to hosting debates. We provide a neutral forum, with the rules clearly specified in advance to minimize any partisan activity by the audience to ensure that all candidates are fairly heard. Under the rigorously fair conditions we enforce at debates, we cannot see any legitimate reason for candidates to be unwilling to join their opponents and face voters together.

And yet, this year, of the eight candidates we have invited to debates, three have refused to take the opportunity to inform voters of their positions and qualifications. We believe their choice hurts our democracy. Because we will only hold a public session if at least two candidates for an office agree to participate, we will not be able to hold a debate on the important county clerk position, where Jennifer Basile has refused our invitation. We will not be able to hold a debate for the position of Hartwick supervisor, where Robert O’Brien was unwilling to join his opponent in debate. Voters will hear from only three of the four candidates running for Hartwick Town Council, as Bryan LoRusso has refused to participate.

The League of Women Voters is committed to doing what we can to reduce the intense partisanship and polarization that erodes the strength of our community. We all need candidates to support this effort by participating in civil debate in front of voters, modeling respectful disagreement and helping voters make choices based on real information rather than just party affiliation. We are deeply disappointed that so many of the candidates we invited will not support this effort. We are making this information public so that voters will know that the League has tried to provide a neutral forum for debate, and so that candidates for office will consider their obligation to participate fully in the education of voters.

The candidates who refused our invitations had their own reasons, but there is no excuse.

Hudi Podolsky
Chair, Voter Service Committee
League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area