At-Large Commission Candidates Slated To Debate
The producer of a local television show has stepped in to fill the void left by the League of Women Voters’ decision to scuttle its traditional debate between at-large candidates running for the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
Cheryl Jones, producer of Speak Out Charlotte, said her show has received commitments from five of the six at-large candidates to participate in the debate. Dan Murrey, an incumbent Democrat, has not returned repeat phone calls from Speak Out Charlotte soliciting participation, Jones said.
“I’m not sure why,” she said. “You’d think as an elected representative of the people, he would happy to take part in an event designed to provide voters information about where candidates stand on important issues.”
Jones said the debate is scheduled for taping on Monday, Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. at the show’s Access 21 studio at 613 Calvert Street in Charlotte and will be broadcast various times leading up to November’s election. The live taping, Jones said, is open to the public and the show is requesting that people submit questions in advance to be used during the debate to the forum’s Facebook page (search Speak Out Charlotte).
“We want to make this as much of a public event as possible,” Jones said.
Speak Out Charlotte, a locally produced show with a decidedly conservative slant, airs on the public Access 21 cable channel and typically broadcasts weekly half-hour interviews with local figures on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg political scene. Jim Puckett, a Republican and former county commissioner who hosts the show’s interview segments, is tentatively slated to moderate the Speak Out Charlotte debate.
Jones said she thought about jumping into the debate game after learning that the League of Women Voters would not be hosting its traditional debate between at-large commissioners. The deal was sealed, Jones said, after she ran across video footage from a recent press conference held by the three GOP candidates, where Corey Thompson issued a challenge.
“We’re willing to debate anytime, anywhere,” Thompson says in the video clip. If an opportunity becomes available, he says, “then it will be up to our (Democrat) opponents to decide if they’re willing to come to the table.”
Commissioners Chairman Jennifer Roberts, a Democrat, said she welcomes the challenge, is looking forward to participating in the Speak Out Charlotte debate, and appreciates the show hosting the event.
“As long as my schedule doesn’t conflict with the taping, I’m happy to take part,” Roberts said. “I hope it works out and that we can all be there. I’d much rather people hear from me directly, than read about me in the paper where things can be taken out of context.”
Jones said the debate would follow a public forum format, where each candidate will give an opening statement, followed by responses to questions from the moderator, with each candidate allowed a set number of challenges to an opponent’s response.
Jim Pendergraph, a Republican at-large candidate, said he looks forward to a lively debate.
“It’ll give voters a chance to see us on our feet, how we deal with challenges, how familiar we are with the issues, instead of just rattling off canned responses,” he said of the proposed format. “I think people will appreciate that kind of interaction.”
UPDATE: Incumbent Democrat Commissioner Dan Murrey has agreed to participate in the debate. Murrey said a communications snafu took place and he didn’t know Speak Out Charlotte was hosting the event or trying to solicit his participation, until reading about it on PunditHouse. Murrey said he looks forward to the debate and the chance to share his views with the voters.
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