Symington challenges Gov. Douglas to series of debates

House Speaker Gaye Symington: Symington for GovernorGubernatorial candidate and House Speaker Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) challenged Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Middlebury) this morning to a series of at least fourteen debates that would take place in the fall.

Symington called for the governor to meet with her in each of Vermont's fourteen counties to discuss issues that are most pressing for Green Mountain State residents to provide the most information to the most people while allowing constituents to directly access candidates.

"As Independence Day approaches and we're reminded of the tremendous blessing of democracy, there is no better way to celebrate than to commit ourselves to a full, reasonable discussion of the issues facing Vermonters," said Symington in a statement. "I believe that every Vermonter should have a chance to attend a debate and see the candidates in person."

The House Speaker suggested using a "cumulative time debate" format, should the governor agree to the debates. This style of debate has been used in the past by the League of Women Voters and allots equal time to the candidates to be used in any way they choose, including questioning the other candidate. Moderators would only be responsible for notifying candidates of large time imbalances, introducing topics of discussion, and maintaining order.

Symington noted that she opted for the cumulative time debate because "the debate format we're accustomed to seeing was largely designed by incumbent candidates to prevent a real exchange of views."

She added that "In order to provide Vermonters with the substantive discussion they need to make an informed choice, we need to leave old approach behind."

The Democratic candidate's camp is confident that Douglas will partake in the debates, given that the proposed series mirrors the incumbent's "Every County Counts" kick-off tour, when the governor crisscrossed the state and held events in all fourteen counties. The tour ended almost two weeks ago.

While the governor has not yet agreed to the debates, Douglas' campaign manager Dennise Casey spoke with PolitickerVT.com about the proposed events.

"Debates are a great way for Vermonters to get to know the candidates for office," she said. "The Governor is looking to participate in debates that give all Vermonters the opportunity to come out and hear the candidates for office."

Casey also listed certain criteria that must be met before the governor agrees to participate in a debate including: holding the event between Labor Day and Election Day, selecting venues that are geographically balanced around the state, allowing coalitions of neutral, local organizations to pool resources and boost attendance, utilizing local media resources to maximize the turnout and increase voter contact, as well as extending invitations to all gubernatorial candidates.

Symington directed her challenge solely to Douglas, and Michael Carrese, the communications director for House Speaker's campaign, promised that Progressive candidate Anthony Pollina would be more than welcome to attend, but he said that unless the governor agrees to the debates, the value of them to Vermonters would be substantially less.