It’s been cancelled.
The Exchange Club had agreed to host a debate at Mayor Mark Lauretti’s request.
But when club president Thomas Turner didn’t get confirmation from the two challengers by 4 p.m. Tuesday, he pulled the plug.
“I thought we could make it happen,” Turner said Tuesday. “It would have been a good debate if we could have gotten everyone excited.”
But instead, the whole ordeal has raised suspicions from the challengers — Democrat Chris Jones and Citizens United candidate Mark Widomski.
The challengers had concerns because the debate was planned quickly and was initiated by the Republicans.
“Two weeks before the election. You can’t put together a debate two weeks before the election,” Widomski said. “That doesn’t sound like a debate. It sounds more like a pep-rally for Lauretti to me.”
The Republicans, however, said the Democrats are simply afraid to face Lauretti.
Questions Lingered
The debate was announced by the Republican Town Committee Chairman at the Shelton Board of Education Meet the Candidates night on Oct. 14.
Jones and Widomski said that was the first they had heard of any debate being organized.
Once they got in touch with the Exchange Club, the candidates had questions about how the debate would be set up.
Democratic Town Committee chairman David Gioiello said he wasn’t satisfied with answers he received about the format, and whether the moderator was properly trained.
Gioiello said a proper debate needs to be planned well in advance.
The Democrats were also opposed to the proposed location for the debate — the Bronson Country Club. The Exchange Club came forward with three other venues this week, but Gioiello said there were too many other problems with the plans to commit.
The Citizens United party had scheduled a meeting to discuss the debate at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
While Turner last week said Widomwski had agreed to participate in the debate, Chris Panek, the Citizens United chairman, said the party hadn’t been officially invited by the Exchange Club until Sunday.
That left only two days before the Exchange Club’s deadline to discuss whether to participate.
“We’re not bowing out of it. Nor are we afraid to debate,” Widomski said. “But on such short notice, it makes it very difficult to get the information to make an informed decision.”
Turner said he tried to answer the concerns of the candidates so the debate could go on.
“I said whatever it takes to make it better, we could do it,” Turner said.
Republicans Respond
Republican Town Committee chairman Anthony Simonetti said the challengers’ indecision was telling.
“What a disaster. These guys don’t want to debate us. They’re chicken,” Simonetti said. “It speaks volumes about their candidates, their campaigns and anything they’re going to bring to the table.”
Gioiello said the fact that the Republicans were pushing the debate was just as revealing.
“I find it interesting. Historically, if you look, it’s always the challengers pushing the incumbent to debate,” Gioiello said. “I find it quite interesting that it’s the incumbent screaming for the debate. It seems to me that (Lauretti) is scared.”
“Mark (Lauretti) has never swayed away from something like this,” Simonetti said. “If you’re talking about having a transparent campaign, a transparent government, this is where it starts.”
Widowmski said a transparent campaign would have approached the other candidates for a debate weeks ago.
“It’s just typical Shelton politics of waiting until the last minute and lack of transparency,” Widowmski said.
