Aubertine, Renzi will debate in series of town-hall forums

State Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, has decided to accept his Republican challenger's call for eight town hall-style debates. Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Aubertine said he was not yet "in campaign mode" and wouldn't be until late September.

"I'm focused on my job right now," he said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "The best way for me to get re-elected is to do my job."

In a later comment, Mr. Aubertine apparently decided to start campaigning early.

"I'll be happy to debate, just like I was during my last election and my elections before that," he said in a prepared statement.

Republican David A. Renzi said that unscripted town hall-style debates will promote "a free-flowing way of communication," giving voters the information they need before the election.

Mr. Aubertine agreed.

"The voters do deserve full debates on this race, and I look forward to participating," he said in a statement.

Mr. Renzi said he would like to return to the style of campaigning used by Abraham Lincoln and his incumbent opponent, Stephen Douglas, which hinged on a series of debates.

"Let's get back to the real democracy that our nation was founded on, and let's get away from what happened last winter — the little press releases, the mocked-up statements," Mr. Renzi said as he spoke to a crowd in his new campaign headquarters on Clinton Street. "Let's get on the floor, person-to-person, and see what the best candidate is going to be."

In February, Mr. Aubertine won a special election over Assemblyman William A. Barclay, R-Pulaski, for the Senate seat vacated in January by James W. Wright, R-Watertown. That seat is up for election in November.

Mr. Renzi said he wants to keep the 48th Senate District campaign positive.

"What I want to avoid is the circus that came to town last winter where hundreds of people were bused up from Manhattan to try to fill the room," he said.

Instead, Mr. Renzi said, he would like to answer "real questions" asked by "real residents."

"I think it will let people know who I am and why I think I'm the better choice for the November elections," he said about the debate.

The first debate is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Tavern on the Lock restaurant in Fulton. Other proposed locations include Adams, Carthage, Clayton, Gouverneur, Ogdensburg and Pulaski.

Mr. Aubertine said in a statement that once he receives the letter Mr. Renzi sent him Tuesday, his campaign team will contact Mr. Renzi's team to organize the debates.

"I've not yet seen his invitation," he said. "I think it's regrettable that rather than picking up the phone to call me, he's made it a political issue through the press."

Sen. Aubertine's press conference focused on his plan to combat the rising cost of home heating oil.

That plan includes creating a Middle-Income Home Energy Assistance Program to extend benefits to middle-class families.

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is a mainstay for thousands of north country households, covering part of the cost of home heating for the winter. Mr. Aubertine wants to double LIHEAP benefits for the 2008-09 winter season for families making up to $45,000 annually.

The final aspect will allot funds for "weatherization improvements," allowing homeowners to save as much as 40 percent on heating bills.

"We have a lot of important issues to address (in a special session) in Albany next week, but we cannot lose sight of the impact rising home heating costs will have on many Central and Northern New Yorkers this winter," Mr. Aubertine said in a press release.

The program would be funded by the sale of carbon permits auctioned as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, he said.

RGGI creates a mandatory cap-and-trade program designed to cut pollution that contributes to global warming, while simultaneously raising funds for "green" energy programs in New York.