McHugh OKs 3 debates with Oot

U.S. Rep. John McHugh has agreed to debate his political rival, Michael P. Oot, three times, although the two sides haven't yet hammered out where or when.

Morrisville, Plattsburgh and Potsdam's state colleges, as well as Colgate University, have all asked to host October debates between the Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger.

Mr. Oot, Stockbridge, has accepted all invitations, according Charles O. McMahon, the candidate's campaign coordinator.

SUNY PLATTSBURGH PLAN

Mr. McHugh, Pierrepont Manor, has officially accepted a debate invitation at SUNY Plattsburgh, his campaign manager, John P. Sweeney, said Tuesday.

C. Thomas Hallock, a producer and news anchor at Mountain Lake PBS, said his company and the League of Women Voters of the Plattsburgh Area will moderate the event.

Instead of holding the event in the PBS studios, Mr. Hallock said the organizers suggested finding a similar space at the college. The anchor said they've also proposed allowing community members to submit questions to moderators, a change from the league's traditional format of panel-only queries.

Mr. Hallock said the event is being proposed for any mutually acceptable night between Oct. 19 and Oct. 31.

CONGRESS BUSY

Mr. Sweeney said details haven't been worked out, partly because he doesn't know when his boss will get out of work.

"With the enormity and uncertainty surrounding the financial bailout of Wall Street before Congress, it's difficult to determine when Congress will adjourn," he said. "The congressman is fully focused on his legislative duties here in Washington."

E.J. Conzola II, Journalism Studies chairman at Morrisville State College, said Mr. Oot agreed last month to debate at the college's Little Theater any time. He characterized Mr. McHugh's office as having a "tentative willingness" to participate.

"It's important that we give the voters an opportunity to hear the candidates," the chairman said. "I'm a big believer in an informed electorate. Anything we can do to promote that, the college or any organization should be involved in."

Mr. Conzola has proposed a similar format as the Plattsburgh debate, with audience-generated questions being asked by moderators during the last 20 minutes of the debate.

Barbara Regenspan, a Colgate associate professor of educational studies, said her attempts to organize an event in Hamilton are not going well.

"The McHugh campaign is not interested in debating here," she said, noting that Mr. Oot has made a "good faith" effort to accommodate the university.

Mr. Sweeney said Mr. McHugh is not avoiding a debate in Madison County, which is Mr. Oot's home county.

"The congressman has no hesitancy about debating our opponent," he added.

Morrisville and Colgate are about nine miles apart, so it seems unlikely that debates will be held at both colleges. Both are within 15 miles of the 23rd Congressional District's southern border.

Elizabeth T. Tuttle, communications and government relations coordinator at SUNY Potsdam, said she's recently invited the candidates to a 7 p.m. debate Oct. 28 at the B.H. Snell building at Clarkson University. The event will be co-sponsored by Clarkson and the St. Lawrence chapter of the American Association of University Women, Ms. Tuttle said.

Mr. Sweeney said the congressman's office is "considering invitation requests at they come in," but had not heard from Potsdam yet.