Region Could Host First Debate in 20 Years

Article in the Southern by Nicole Sack on July 21, 2006.

Region Could Host First Debate in 20 Years
By Nicole Sack
The Southern
July 21, 2006

It appears that for the first time in more than 20 years, Southern Illinois will host a gubernatorial debate as Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka have agreed to square off this September.

Thursday, Blagojevich accepted invitations to 12 debates, including one proposed for Sept. 5 at the Marion Civic and Cultural Center, sponsored by The Southern Illinoisan, WSIU Public Television and the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

"The debates Gov. Blagojevich accepted today would represent an unprecedented opportunity for people in virtually every community throughout our state to learn more about the candidates for governor," said Sheila Nix, Blagojevich campaign spokesperson. "We hope Treasurer Topinka will not refuse to give the people of Illinois the opportunity to hear and see an extensive, face-to-face dialogue."

Topinka's campaign accepted the Southern Illinois debate invitation and four others Thursday. A spokesperson said Topinka would like to have 12 debates, too, just not all in the same place as Blagojevich suggested Thursday.

"We are pleased to see that he has come around to our proposal to doing 12 debates, but we think there are other debate invitations worthy of consideration - especially debates in central and southern Illinois, as well as the Metro East Area," Topinka spokesperson John McGovern said. "This state is bigger than just Chicago."

Mike Lawrence, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIUC, said the debate will be positive for the region.

"The two candidates are more likely to address issues that are particularly important to Southern Illinois, such as the economy, fairness in school funding, staffing level at the department of corrections and higher education," Lawrence said.

The question still remains whether or not Rich Whitney, a Carbondale attorney and the Green Party candidate for governor, should be allowed to share the debate stage with Topinka and Blagojevich.

"If he gets on the ballot, I believe (Whitney) should be welcomed into the debate if he shows sufficient support in public opinion polls," Lawrence said.

Whitney and the Greens are currently entrenched in an objection challenge waged by Democrats, who are contesting the petition signatures collected by the Greens.

Whitney previously had submitted a letter of insistence to both Topinka and Blagojevich requesting that he be included in the debates.

"Tens of thousands of Illinois voters have said they want to see us on the ballot," Whitney said. "I don't think it's a stretch to deduce that there are a large percentage of Illinois voters who want to hear what we have to say in a debate. We're saying some things that no one else is saying - like an actual plan for the budget, for example. I think we've earned our place in the debates."

nicole.sack@thesouthern.com

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