No Second Debate, But Ansonia Candidates Forum Scheduled For Oct. 25

Instead of a debate, a ​“Meet the Candidates” forum has been scheduled next week in Ansonia, though it’s unlikely both candidates for mayor will be taking part.

Background

Two-term Republican incumbent David Cassetti and his Democratic opponent for mayor, Tarek Raslan, had been scheduled to debate the issues Oct. 26 at the high school.

Mat Hough, president of the city’s teacher’s union, was to moderate. High school students were to ask questions.

But the planned Oct. 26 event fell apart last week after the candidates couldn’t agree on a time to rearrange the event because it conflicted with a football game. The mayor’s campaign then said the original date no longer worked for him.

The mayor’s campaign treasurer, John Marini, who also serves as the city’s corporation counsel, said the proposed date had been changed twice, and that Cassetti became too busy the week of Oct. 23 preparing for a Nov. 1 ​“State of the City” speech and an Oct. 26 Chamber of Commerce event.

A Change.org petition appeared online Thursday ​“to keep the debate as scheduled and hold the Mayor to his word” had more than 200 signatures as of Monday morning. 

And roughly 58 percent of 111 votes in an unscientific poll in an Oct. 12 Valley Indy story about the debate plans falling apart were in favor of the debate going forward as planned Oct. 26.

New Forum Planned

The question of whether a debate would take place was the subject of a number of social media posts over the weekend.

Hough said that instead of a debate Oct. 26, there will be a ​“Meet the Candidates” forum Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

But Sheila O’Malley, the city’s grants writer and economic development director, said that although the mayor welcomes a forum with students, Oct. 25 wouldn’t work for Cassetti.

She also stressed Cassetti didn’t want to debate again. The Valley Indy hosted an online debate Oct. 9.

But in the same email, O’Malley accused Hough of being biased against Mayor Cassetti.

“A debate between the candidates has already been held, and your comments on social media have made it clear that you harbor an unacceptable bias,” O’Malley wrote.

O’Malley said Hough showed bias by sharing a Facebook post from Raslan’s campaign Oct. 1. She also pointed to a letter to the editor he wrote last February. 

But those ​“bias” actions happened before Team Cassetti agreed to let Hough moderate the now-dead debate. 

If Team Cassetti was so worried, why did the mayor’s campaign agree to the debate in the first place?

“We thought he might put that aside. Apparently not,” O’Malley wrote. ​“Also we initially asked if NH Register or Post could moderate so I guess our concerns were always there. We have no problem participating in a forum where the students ask questions.”

Emails corporation counsel John Marini shared with The Valley Indy last week show no evidence of the campaign being concerned about Hough’s local political leanings.

The emails — which were exchanges between Marini and Hough to set up the debate — say the Post/Register reached out to Cassetti’s campaign to be ​“a guest moderator.”

Marini told Hough about it Oct. 10, a week after Team Cassetti agreed to the debate.

O’Malley said public Facebook posts made by Hough last week after The Valley Indy published a story about the debate drama show further bias.

Hough Responds

Hough, who is president of the teacher’s union but does not live in Ansonia, has spoken in support of school funding at several public hearings during budget season.

Hough said in an email that the majority of times he’s spoken in public have been to the tax board and Aldermen — the two public boards who have the most to do with actually setting the budget.

“I would also say that in reality I have been more critical of the Board of Education and the Superintendent, yet we are able to work together to best meet the needs of the students of Ansonia, without me being called biased,” Hough said.

Hough said he shared the video posted by Raslan’s campaign because a former student sent it to him. If one of Cassetti’s supporters sent him a post from their campaign declaring support for education, he said he’d share that too.

“I am the same person I was when Team Cassetti committed to the debate,” Hough said. ​“They knew it was being sponsored by the Ansonia Federation of Teachers and that I would be moderating. They agreed to a format that I presented specifically to take out the ability for favoritism or bias.”

The plan — each candidate would have a five-minute opening statement, then be given two minutes each to respond to the exact same questions posed by students.

“We attempted to take any ​‘debate’ out of the debate,” Hough said. ​“Once again, this format was agreed to and was specifically designed to take the bias out of the equation. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to do was show bias in front of hundreds of people and the press.”

He said O’Malley’s statements constituted ​“political spin” and pointed out Cassetti’s campaign initially blamed scheduling conflicts for withdrawing from the forum. 

“When that was not well received by the public, they are attacking my credibility and bias as an excuse,” he said.

Stay Tuned

Hough said he hopes Cassetti has a ​“change of heart” about the Oct. 25 forum, and that invitations have also gone out to every candidate for Alderman and Board of Education as well.

In emails Monday both O’Malley and Raslan held out hope that the two candidates could appear together again at some sort of forum. 

“We are reaching out to Mat in the hopes of scheduling an event that will involve Ansonia students and work for both candidates,” O’Malley said. ​“This event should be coordinated by a neutral party in the interest of fairness to all sides.”

Raslan said he intends to show up to the Oct. 25 forum and hopes Cassetti does too.

“Regardless of how Mathew Hough feels, I don’t see how it will impact his ability to pass the microphone from one student to another,” Raslan said. ​“Mayor Cassetti made a commitment, he should should stick to it.”