GUILDERLAND — The Republican challengers for two Guilderland Town Board seats are eager for a debate and say incumbent Democrats have put them off.
Democrats, meanwhile, say that the Republicans have been "historically uncooperative," and that arrangements for a debate should have been set up in July or August before the election crunch.

In a four-way race, Republicans Warren Redlich and Mark Grimm are challenging incumbent Democrats Michael Ricard and David Bosworth. Democratic Supervisor Kenneth Runion is running unopposed for town supervisor.

At Tuesday night’s town board meeting Redlich read a series of rhyming couplets, chiding the Democrats and pushing for a debate:
"Mike Ricard where are you now" Since you made your August vow. You said you’d debate on any topic. Now you run, fast as a rocket. Three dates we proposed for a debate. Your response, we still await. " It shouldn’t have to be this hard. Why won’t you debate us, Mike Ricard""

Redlich, who said he was inspired to write the poem while reading a Dr. Suess book with his daughter, read the couplets during the televised meeting to a mostly unamused board.

Grimm spoke before Redlich and called for a citizen task force to be created in choosing the next town police chief. Also, for the second town board meeting in a row he called for documents to be released surrounding the retirement of former police chief, James Murley.
Supervisor Kenneth Runion told Grimm, for the second time, that the public comment portion of the town board meeting "was not a political platform," and that his comments would be taken into the record.

Ricard said he would still debate Redlich and Grimm, but said a proper debate needs to be funded and set up by the political parties, and then sponsored by a neutral third party.
"There’s strict rules involving using the town hall for political purposes," Ricard said. "I’ll debate them wherever they want to debate, but logistics is not my problem."
Bosworth said yesterday that Grimm’s and Redlich’s negative approach to their campaigns were "unprecedented," and that "candidates should not be throwing stones at each other."
He said he has had no cooperation with the Republican candidates or their party chair, Barbara Davis, and added, "I think this all could have been avoided if they sat down in July or August and set this debate up."

Bosworth insisted that he is not trying to avoid a televised debate,
"I’m not opposed to TV," he said. "I sit there along with Mr. Ricard televised on the town board every month." Bosworth said much goes into a debate and that an agreed upon time, format, and financial sponsor were all necessary.

Redlich has been active in his challenges for a debate, particularly against Councilman Ricard, who had filed a lawsuit to remove Redlich from the ballot in August. Redlich and Grimm have asked the League of Women Voters to sponsor a debate among the four candidates running for town board.
"Right now I am hopeful we can get everyone together for McKownville," Bosworth said yesterday.
The McKownville Improvement Association holds a "Meet the Candidates" night in October every election year. However, some say that the event does not do enough and only serves to meet the needs of the members in the association.

The event is not televised like many of the meetings in Town Hall.
Supervisor Runion said that he would like to see "a traditional Lincoln-Douglas debate" in Guilderland, but that he doesn’t believe it has ever happened. He agreed with Bosworth, saying a lot of coordination and planning is necessary for such a debate.

Runion said that, in past debates, questions from the crowd included topics like favorite movies and books, and were not necessarily about local issues.
"I’d like to go head-to-head on the issues if I were going to debate," Runion said.

A flurry of e-mails have been sent by candidates, the League of Women Voters, and party chairpersons, but there’s been very little headway towards making a televised debate at Town Hall a reality.
The Democrats point to the McKownville event as the "traditional" forum for such a debate, while Republicans say the event is not a debate, but merely a "meet-and-greet" forum.

Maggie Moehringer, from the League of Women Voters of Albany County, told The Enterprise that Grimm had contacted her on Sept. 6 to sponsor a televised debate among Guilderland town board candidates.
Moehringer said she was "willing to bring together such an event," that dates for Oct. 22, 23, and 25 were possibilities for a town hall debate, but that she did not hear back from Bosworth or Ricard.
Bosworth said that he did originally receive Moehringer’s e-mail and that his challenger decided to call for a debate "only days before the primary."

He also said that the League of Women Voters were a volunteer organization and did not have funds to sponsor the debate.

Past debates on debates

Debate problems among town candidates have been extensively covered by The Enterprise in the past. The last formal televised debate was held at Town Hall in 2001.

In a déjà vu repeat of past years, the debate agreements of this year are eerily similar to the ones of the past.

In the 2003 town election, a debate disagreement arose between Supervisor Runion and his opponent, Republican Anthony Esposito. A week before the election, Esposito sent a letter to The Enterprise, Runion, and 450 Guilderland residents demanding a debate.

Runion responded by saying there was a debate in McKownville the week before, but Esposito didn’t show up. Tony Cortes, the Republican party chair, was there, along with every town Republican candidate, Runion said at the time, except for Esposito.

Esposito countered that this was not a formal debate; it was simply a meet-the-candidates event organized by the McKownville Improvement Association.

In 2005, it was between Republican town board candidate Ed Glenning and Bosworth.

Glenning and the other Republican candidate for town board, Michael Donegan, wrote a letter to the Enterprise editor in August of that year, asking for a debate, but with no specific time and place. Runion, who was also unopposed that year, said then that he couldn’t see why the Democratic candidates wouldn’t debate.

Bosworth responded through The Enterprise the next Thursday of that year, saying that the McKownville Improvement Association was holding a "Meet the Candidates" night, as it has in past elections.

Bosworth said at the time, while it isn’t an official debate, residents were given an opportunity to ask questions of all the candidates who attended.

The Democrats aren’t opposed to a debate, he said then, but, if invited to one, would need time to get organized and set rules both parties can agree on.

Now in 2007, town Democrats say Republicans are poorly organized and have a history of waiting until the last minute before demanding a debate. Town Republicans say that Democrats are simply hiding behind delay tactics and are afraid to debate them.

Both Redlich and Grimm insist that a televised debate is necessary, but added that they will both attend the McKownville event. Redlich added that he never had a problem debating Congressman Michael McNulty during the two times he ran against him.
"I debated Mike McNulty four times," Redlich said. "They are completely avoiding this debate"This is a classic example of someone speaking out of both sides of his mouth."

Bosworth responded through The Enterprise saying, "Candidates in congressional races have staff. It’s a whole different environment for a town race"I just don’t have the administrative staff to set these events up."
Bosworth concluded by saying he and Ricard will also attend the McKownville event, and that, as for a televised debate, "We’re hoping, we’re not closed"I never said ‘no,’ I just questioned if it could be set up in time."

The League of Women Voters says it is still willing to sponsor a televised debate.