Coo-coo-ca-choo, Mrs. Robinson. Jesus loves you more than you will know … But I’m not going to the candidates’ debate next Thursday.
That’s because it’s not a debate, folks.
It’s a candidate forum. At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, The Evening Sun will present a public forum for the three judicial candidates seeking the office of Chenango County, Surrogate and Family Court Judge.
We’re pleased that all three hopefuls – Diane DiStefano, Joseph McBride and Frank Revoir – have agreed to participate in this important election season event, but I wanted to use this column space today to further clarify the evening we’ve planned (and have advertised for the past two weeks), so you, dear readers, will know better what to expect next Thursday.
It’s not a debate. I can’t stress that enough, really. While we will have all three candidates on stage at NHS and they will each answer questions about their respective candidacies, the rules regarding judicial elections are a little different than those governing “regular” political offices. Those expecting heated arguments, charged back-and-forth rebuttals and open-mike questions from the audience will be disappointed – there can be none of that here.
Believe it or not, I’ve trudged my way through the half-inch thick “Judicial Campaign Ethics Handbook,” issued by the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. Like the candidates themselves, I know what they can and cannot do according to the prescribed regulations. It’s a pretty stringent list.
“Judicial candidates should be careful to maintain the dignity of judicial office, avoid making pledges or promises of conduct in office other than the faithful and impartial performance of the duties of office, and avoid making statements that commit or appear to commit him/her with respect to cases, controversies or issues that are likely to come before the court …”
Yeah, it’s that fun of a read.
Basically, what it boils down to is that we’re limited in the scope of questions that we can ask of the candidates, and they are limited in the questions they can answer, and in how they comport themselves while answering.
I’m sure many of you were hoping for an open debate in which you could lob any question you wanted at the panel, but that’s just not possible. New York State says so. Regardless, I suspect that many questions from an unfiltered citizenry at this point would involve issues far beyond the purview of the Chenango County Judge office anyway. I’m no lawyer, but I’m fairly certain the new judge, whoever it may be, will never be asked to rule on hydrofracking, same-sex marriage, abortion, or, I don’t know … alien abductions? Scooters at Wal-Mart? Whatever’s occupying minds over on ’30 Seconds’ these days.
Instead, we will present an opportunity for you, the voting public, to see all three candidates in the same place at the same time, delivering summaries of their candidacies and answering questions (prepared by The Evening Sun) regarding their qualifications for office, and their perspective on its duties. I’m confident that despite the restrictions, it will still be an excellent opportunity to see how DiStefano, McBride and Revoir (that’s alphabetical order; please stop reading into my every word!) carry themselves publicly, weigh the aspects of their diverse backgrounds and hopefully show a hint or two of personality.
After the formal program, each of the candidates have agreed to mingle about the audience, so you will have chance for a little one-on-one, if you desire. But the same rules apply.
Why next Thursday, by the way? I know it’s Labor Day, the first week of school, days before Colorscape, etc. – we’re all busy these days. It’s next Thursday because that’s exactly one week before the all-important Republican, Conservative and Independence Party Primary – a ballot on which all three candidates will appear. For members of those parties, it’s a crucial time to make a very important decision. What November’s general election holds will largely be determined by the results of the Sept. 13 Primary, so it’s vital that voters in those registered parties make an informed decision.
This isn’t my first rodeo – The Evening Sun has hosted many debates throughout the years, from candidates for school board to mayor and even county sheriff (that one was a long, long time ago) – but this is our first crack at bat for a judicial race. And it’s certainly been an interesting one. I’ve said it before and I’ll stand by it: It’s fantastic that Chenango voters will have a choice among three qualified candidates. Nothing’s worse than an uncontested race – both from the perspective of democracy and for selling newspapers.
See you next at 7 p.m next Thursday at the Candidates …. Forum! It’s not a debate!
Follow me on Twitter … @evesunjeff.
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