Challengers will get 3 opportunities to debate Menino
Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has faced consistent criticism in this and past mayoral races for his reluctance to face political opponents, has agreed to participate in three televised debates and one forum, his campaign said yesterday.
Menino will debate his three opponents - city councilors Michael F. Flaherty Jr. and Sam Yoon, and developer Kevin McCrea - on Aug. 26 and Sept. 10, ahead of the Sept. 22 preliminary election that will narrow the field to two. If Menino should advance to the Nov. 3 general election, he will debate the other finalist at an Oct. 19 debate cosponsored by the Globe.
“The mayor is looking forward to debating the issues and the future of Boston,’’ said Emily Nowlin, a Menino spokeswoman. “Our decision to accept these debates was based on the fact that all these proposals are televised and therefore they will reach the broadest audience possible.’’
The agreement triples the number of debates that Menino engaged in four years ago, when challenger Maura Hennigan resorted to pleading in Latin and running an ad inspired by “Make Way for Ducklings’’ that accused the mayor of avoiding her. Eventually Menino agreed to one debate, coinciding with a Red Sox-Yankees game, on his way to easily winning a fourth term in office.
This time, facing spirited challenges from several candidates, Menino agreed from the outset to participate in three debates. But the other campaigns accused him of foot dragging during the more than two months it took to hash out details.
Yesterday, the candidates said they were glad Menino consented to the debates, but they want more.
“After 16 years, Mayor Menino has finally decided to face the voters, to discuss our failing schools, violent crime, and the fact that businesses are leaving Boston,’’ Flaherty said. “Are three debates enough? That question is up to the public.’’
Yoon, like Flaherty an at-large member of the City Council, said the competitive nature of the race and the seriousness of the issues confronting the city should compel Menino to participate in more debates.
“It’s a step forward in the right direction, but not the right magnitude,’’ Yoon said.
McCrea said he was pleased that Menino lived up to his word. But Menino’s debate adviser, former CBS News journalist and executive Ed Fouhy, did not make it easy to arrange the debates, McCrea said.
“Michael and Sam and I have talked amongst ourselves,’’ McCrea said. “We’ve been in contact with Ed Fouhy, who promised to sit down with us and promised to sit down with us by July 1 but didn’t return phone calls or e-mails, which I think is typical of the Menino administration, saying one thing and doing another.’’
Menino’s campaign attributed the time lapse to the mayor’s busy schedule and the challenge of finalizing logistics with multiple sponsors for three debates. Although he is unlikely to engage in a fourth direct debate, Menino plans to participate in at least one forum before the general election, a WCVB (Channel 5) event that is still being finalized, and would consider other opportunities to appear alongside the challengers at public forums, Nowlin said.
The first debate, moderated by WBZ political analyst Jon Keller, will be televised live from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 on WBZ-TV (Channel 4). It will be rebroadcast the following day on TV38, WBZ’s sister station. The Sept. 10 debate will air from 5 to 6 p.m. on WFXT (Fox 25), which is sponsoring the debate alongside the Boston Herald.
The Globe-sponsored debate Oct. 19 will be held at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and will be carried live on television by cosponsors New England Cable News and WGBH-TV (Channel 2). The hourlong debate, starting at 7 p.m., will be broadcast on radio by cosponsor WBUR (90.9 FM).
“We know that there could be numerous opportunities beyond these three that Menino has agreed to,’’ Yoon said. “And I think that is important, for an audience to do a compare and contrast right there and see how the same question gets answered in different ways.’’
The challengers said they would also appear in additional debates and forums, with or without Menino.
“If we get a phone call from a neighborhood association, civic association, or community-based organizations and nonprofits, if they want to host an event or a forum, I’ll be there,’’ Flaherty said.
None of the three debates this year will compete for viewers with the Sox-Yankees rivalry. On Aug. 26, the Red Sox play the White Sox, who are also in the playoff hunt. The second debate is an off day for the ball club, and the third falls during the postseason, which is not yet scheduled.
