Tea Party says it will host 4 GOP hopefuls at forum

Mark L. Barie, chairman of the Upstate New York Tea Party, said his group will host a 7 p.m. candidate forums March 25 in the Westside Ball Room, Plattsburgh, with the four potential candidates for the Republican nomination in the 23rd Congressional District.

Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun, Matt Doheny, a Watertown businessman, Will Barclay, a state Assemblyman from Pulaski and Doug Hoffman, a Lake Placid accountant, have agreed to attend, Mr. Barie said in a statement.

“Any one of these candidates has the potential to defeat Bill Owens in the 2010 elections," the chairman said. "They are all fiscal conservatives, they are all opposed to the trillion dollar health care bill which Bill Owens supported, and they are opposed to the tax and spend policies of the current administration.”

The forum will include written questions from the audience, he said.

This is encouraging news, especially since I was today unable to get Mr. Hoffman commit to at least one public debate with his potential Republican opponents before the September primary.

"I think it depends on the forum, but certainly if it was done in a reasonable manner I'd welcome that type of debate," he said.

And what does Mr. Hoffman consider a "reasonable manner"?

"Certainly, we would have to have it done with an independent moderator," he said. "I think if we had that, I'd be very glad to engage in that."