Mayor Takes Action

For months, mayoral challenger Tiffany Martin Hamilton has been calling on Mayor William Hallenbeck to engage with her in a debate, but the mayor has been reluctant--first saying it was too early to think about debates, then denying that he was getting emails from the Hamilton camp. Now it seems the mayor has taken the bull by the horns and unilaterally arranged for two debates--on his terms and on his turf--and he is now inviting Hamilton to participate. Hamilton's response to the mayor's proposal follows.  

Since June, we have called upon the Mayor to schedule public debates with me. We proposed we start in July; he postponed until October. We proposed that we debate without prior knowledge of the questions; he balked.

We invited him to meet in person last Thursday the 24th to discuss moderators and location, format (some of which he’d already agreed to in writing after our last meeting), and location; he accepted and then texted the campaign to cancel at the last minute.

Yesterday, the 25th, I received a surprising text from the Mayor informing me he’d secured sponsorship from the Register Star and Rotary for debates to be held at the former Elks Club location--where he held his first 2015 campaign event and past events--and the American Legion, on October 14th and 28th, respectively. He informed me that the format and questions would be decided upon by the sponsoring organizations, and that I could choose to show if I wished.

His approach notwithstanding, I do think the Register Star is an excellent choice of host. The Rotary and American Legion are venerable organizations and deserve every respect; however, the Mayor has known ties to them. Given his preference to know the questions in advance, the proposed arrangement is not so much a debate as an opportunity to stump.  

I am eager to debate the Mayor on the suggested dates provided two standards are met:

•  to secure independent sponsors, moderators and venues, upon which we mutually agree;

•  to enter the debate without prior knowledge of the questions.

Anything less is simply reading from a script. If that is what the Mayor wishes to do, he may, but I will not join him or mislead the public by promoting it as a debate.

I call upon the Mayor to come back to the table and finalize plans for a real debate. If we cannot reach agreement this week--and I genuinely hope we do--my campaign will hold two town hall events in October, open to the public.  

If you wish to see a true debate, one that is unscripted and open to your questions, I encourage you to make your views known to the Mayor. I also encourage all Hudson residents to register to vote before October 9th, and get to the polls November 3rd. This is your city, and your election. Make your voice heard!