Hawkins added to Maxwell School's 'debate'
Syracuse Post-Standard
Mike McAndrew
September 16th, 2008
SYRACUSE, NY -- Third-party congressional candidate Howie Hawkins has been invited to participate in the campaign's first televised debate by the 25th District candidates, the sponsors said Monday -- but it will no longer be a debate.
Officials at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and WTVH-TV (Channel 5) said last week that Hawkins, the Green Populist Party candidate, would be barred from their Oct. 15 event.
After the Board of Elections ruled Friday that Hawkins was a valid candidate, and WTVH-TV agreed to lengthen its broadcast of the event by 30 minutes, Hawkins was invited to join Democrat Dan Maffei and Republican Dale Sweetland at the event, said Robert McClure, a Maxwell School professor.
Last week, McClure said Hawkins would not be invited because he had no chance of winning and because the public would be better served if Maffei and Sweetland had more time to talk about their positions.
Now, instead of a 60-minute debate, McClure and WTVH-TV reporter Donna Adamo will interview each candidate separately for 30 minutes in front of an audience in the Maxwell School auditorium.
"We believe that this kind of candidate forum will provide 25th District voters with the straightforward, 'un-spun' information that they both desire and deserve," said Maxwell Dean Mitchel Wallerstein. "No campaign sound bites, no bickering back and forth -- just serious, in-depth, substantive conversation."
"I wanted to be included, I expected to be included, and I'm glad I'm included," said Hawkins, who said many of his supporters had sent the Maxwell School and WTVH-TV protests over his exclusion.
Contact Mike McAndrew at mmcandrew@syracuse.com or 470-3016.
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