On Wednesday evening the Daily Bulldog was pleased to sponsor a debate in the House District 89 race between candidates Lance Harvell and Yvette Robinson. The hour-long debate allowed all those in attendance at UMF’s Lincoln Auditorium, as well as those who can now view it on our website, a chance to get to know the two candidates better and to also understand how they would deal with the many problems that face us in these difficult times.
When we invited Mr. Harvell and Ms. Robinson to debate back in early September they both immediately accepted and for that they should be applauded. Anyone who viewed their debate had to feel privileged to live in a place that offered them a choice of two such fine candidates. Democratic candidates Ann Woloson and Irv Faunce also each accepted our debate invitations immediately, but debates in those two races (Senate District 18 and House District 90) did not take place due to the reluctance of their opponents, Tom Saviello and Russell Black to commit to be involved in them. To be fair to Mr. Black, after a number of emails over several weeks he did finally list his availability for one date, but in the time it took Mr. Faunce to accept that date it apparently was no longer available. At no time since Mr. Saviello received his invitation did he indicate any date that would be acceptable to have a true debate with his opponent.
At the Daily Bulldog we have never endorsed any political candidate and it is not our intent to do so now. Neither are we suggesting that we have somehow become the official debate sponsor for local elections. We waited before scheduling any debate this election cycle to see if another media organization or group had an interest in setting up debates between the candidates, and when none came forward, as a service to local voters we tried to arrange them. There may be many reasons why candidates Saviello and Black did not accept the chance to debate as readily as did the other four candidates, but the real losers are the voters who will never get the chance to know them as well as they know Lance Harvell and Yvette Robinson, due to their gracious willingness to answer direct questions about where they stand on the issues.
Bobbie Hanstein
Editor
Thank you for the service offered the public by hosting this week’s debate. I thought both candidates gave excellent account of themselves. As for candidates Black and Saviello, not to respond in a timely way or to simply refuse to accept an invitation to face their opposition and to explain their positions on current issues faced by us all does them no credit.
Thank you.
Let’s face it Saviello knows he would lose in a face to face debate, especially if his effectiveness on anything but the feel good issues that he gets through the leg, is brought up.
It takes more than presenting awards and attending festivals to work in the legislature for Mainers.