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.