Congressional Candidates to Appear in Accord

This Sunday, April 3, Will Yandik and Zephyr Teachout, Democrats seeking to represent the 19th District in Congress, will appear at a town meeting at the Accord Fire House, 22 Main Street (off Route 209), in Accord. The event, sponsored by the Ulster County Town Democratic Committees of Rochester, Rosendale, and Marbletown, takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. 

Although both candidates will appear at the event, they will not appear at the same time. Yandik will meet voters from 3 to 4 p.m.; Teachout will be there from 4 to 5 p.m. Last night, the Yandik campaign released this statement:

Zephyr Teachout has backed out of a confirmed joint appearance with Will Yandik planned for this Sunday, April 3, in Accord, Ulster County. The two Democratic candidates in New York's 19th Congressional District agreed nearly a month ago to appear together at a local community forum. Teachout has indicated that she will attend the event, but she is refusing to appear at the same time as Yandik as previously agreed, thereby depriving Democrats of an opportunity to hear the two candidates discuss the issues side-by-side. . . .

"An open discussion of issues is a vitally important part of the political process, and Zephyr Teachout's last-minute refusal to appear alongside Will is disrespectful to the Democrats of the 19th District," said Yandik spokesperson Tony Coppola. "Given Teachout's criticism of Andrew Cuomo for refusing to debate her in the 2014 gubernatorial primary, we expected better from her."

Coppola added: "We urge Zephyr Teachout to reconsider her decision and appear alongside Will on Sunday as planned--and to agree to debates in the coming weeks. Democrats deserve a substantive discussion between the two candidates about the issues that affect upstate New York."

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