[Vision2020] 10-26-04 Daily News: All but one Republican skips MCA debate

[Art Deco aka W. Fox]

All but one Republican skips MCA debate


By Megan Doyle
Daily News staff writer

Latah County Commissioner Jack Nelson was the only Republican candidate present 
Monday at a debate sponsored by the Moscow Civic Association.
Nelson said he had nothing to lose by attending the event.

"I wish my other candidates had come," Nelson said.

Latah County Republican Chairman Barrett Schroeder expressed concern over the 
fairness of the MCA debates and suggested Republican candidates not attend. A 
second MCA debate for state house candidates is scheduled for Wednesday at the 
1912 Center in Moscow.

Schroeder could not be reached today for comment. But in an opinion piece in 
Friday's Daily News, Schroeder raised a number of issues, including what he 
called the unfairness of planted questions by candidates, one-on-one debates 
that would exclude independent sheriff candidate Joe Overstreet, and the 
importance of having questions about the issues rather than personal attacks.

After negotiations with the MCA, John Irby was picked as a moderator from a list 
submitted to the MCA by Daily News editor and publisher Nathan Alford. The MCA 
chose Irby, a professor in the school of journalism at Washington State 
University, because they felt he would be neutral.

Still, most Republican candidates did not attend the MCA forum.

"I think it is unfortunate they don't want to speak to us," MCA President Lois 
Blackburn said. She sat most of the night hoping other Republican candidates 
would show up.

"They didn't belittle me at all for coming here," Nelson said about his fellow 
Republican candidates.

"I do appreciate Jack coming out tonight," said Nelson's challenger, Democrat 
Linda Pike.

"They were most cordial to me in Troy," she added.

The county commissioner and sheriff candidates also were invited to a forum at 
the Troy Lion's Club Monday night. All of the candidates attended that event, 
but Republican candidate Jeff Harkins for commissioner and Wayne Rausch for 
sheriff did not attend the MCA event.

"I regret my opponent didn't come," incumbent county Commissioner Tom Stroschein 
said.

Harkins defended his reasons for not attending the MCA debate.

"Initially, I was unhappy with some of the protocols," Harkins said about the 
MCA debate. He added that negotiations with the MCA had broken down and he began 
receiving threats that if he didn't attend the forum he would be harmed.

Harkins said his integrity was being challenged.

"What I won't do is yield to pressure to get votes," Harkins said.

Harkins added that the extra time he had at the forum in Troy was beneficial.

Stroschein said he and Harkins have participated in 14 separate forums. For the 
MCA debate, Stroschein said he prepared a statement clarifying some of the facts 
and figures his opponent has raised in the past.

"I would have appreciated his response," Stroschein added.

Stroschein began his presentation at the MCA debate with jokes about the 
differences between Republicans and Democrats.

"Democrats eat the fish they catch, Republicans hang them on the wall," 
Stroschein told the audience. He said he had personally invited Harkins to the 
MCA forum.

Sheriff candidate Joe Overstreet, an independent, said a candidate who does not 
appear to hear or answer questions from the public does not deserve to be 
elected.

"I'm very disappointed," Overstreet said.

Besides finding it necessary to present a unified front by Republican 
candidates, sheriff candidate Rausch had other reasons for not attending the 
event.

"Given the choice again, I'd make the same decision," Rausch said.

Rausch said he received an anonymous e-mail that said the writer planned to ask 
him about his mental health. Rausch said there was another incident in which he 
was told he would be subjected to improper questions at the MCA forum if he 
attended.

If the questions had been asked, Rausch said, they would have hurt his 
credibility, no matter how he answered.

Incumbent Sheriff Jeff Crouch, a Democrat, said that despite suggested problems 
surrounding the forum, he would have liked it if Rausch attended.

"I was looking forward to having a more interactive conversation," Crouch said.

Megan Doyle can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 237, or by e- mdoyle@ 
dnews.com.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20041027/7a45424a/attachment-0001.htm