All three Louisville mayoral candidates who are actively campaigning will participate in a debate on Wednesday, July 21 at Bellarmine University.
Republican Hal Heiner and Democrat Greg Fischer have debated twice since the primary, at the Homebuilders Association and the Venture Club. Independent mayoral candidate Jackie Green was not invited to the Homebuilders forum, which was telecast by WDRB-TV.
The question of which candidates should be allowed to participate in a debate has several well reasoned conclusions.
In the interest of fairness and inclusion of minority points of view, some argue that any candidate who has filed for election should be allowed to debate. To exclude someone based on a minimum polling threshold is a self-fulfilling prophecy, the argument contends, because without being allowed exposure, an outside candidate cannot gain the exposure needed to build support.
On the other hand, many debates which include the lesser known candidates become frustrating to watch, because the candidates who have a legitimate shot at winning the election must share the stage with candidates that conventional wisdom knows have little chance. If voters are trying to decide which of the two main candidates to support, they must sit through the pretension that a fringe candidate is on the same footing as the major players. This becomes even more frustrating when the outside candidate interrupts a comparative opportunity to judge the main candidates.
The Louisville Courier-Journal has a strong presence in the next mayoral debate, with the liberal side represented by recently retired Courier-Journal editor David Hawpe and the conservative approach represented by political commentator and attorney John David Dyche.
Students from the Governor’s Scholars Program will also ask questions and the candidates will also ask each other questions. WAVE-TV anchor Scott Reynolds is the moderator.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MAYORAL DEBATE TO BE HELD AT BELLARMINE UNIVERSITY
Bellarmine University and the Governor’s Scholars Program will present a mayoral debate at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, in Frazier Hall on the Bellarmine campus, 2001 Newburg Road.
The debate is free and open to the public, with limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition, the university will broadcast live streaming video of the debate on Bellarmine TV at http://www.bellarmine.edu/livestream/.
The planned mixed-format debate will feature all the candidates for mayor: Democrat Greg Fischer, Republican Hal Heiner and Independent Jackie Green.
It will be moderated by WAVE-3 news anchor Scott Reynolds.
The first segment will include timed responses to questions posed by the panelists -- recently retired Courier-Journal editor David Hawpe, political commentator and attorney John David Dyche, and some of Kentucky’s top high school students representing the Governor’s Scholars Program, which is in residence on the Bellarmine campus for the seventh consecutive year.
The second segment will be cross-questioning, in which each of the three candidates will ask two questions of the others.
Finally, each candidate will have two minutes for a closing statement.
“We are very pleased to sponsor this event for the community, along with our resident Governor’s Scholars,” said Bellarmine University’s president, Dr. Joseph J. McGowan. “Every election is important, but this one looms especially large because Louisville has had the same great mayor for nearly a quarter of a century and is now electing a new one. We believe this event will be a great learning opportunity not only for the Scholars, but for the community at large.”
The Governor’s Scholars Program strives to develop Kentucky’s next generation of civic and economic leaders and to create models of educational excellence for teachers and students. Established in 1983, the program provides academic and personal growth through the balance of a strong liberal arts program with a full co-curricular and residential life experience.
Bellarmine University is celebrating 60 years of academic excellence, leadership and service to the region and the world. It is an independent Catholic university offering more than 50 majors, as well as graduate degree programs, a doctor of nursing practice and a doctor of physical therapy. Forbes.com and the Princeton Review rank Bellarmine among America’s best institutions for higher education, and U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Bellarmine as a top-tier university.
