The campaign manager for Dan Foley, Jr. delivered a letter in person to Anthony Staffieri in City Hall Thursday challenging the mayor to a debate.
Foley, a Democrat and a retired Derby teacher, is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Mayor Anthony Staffieri in the Nov. 3 election.
The Democrats have arranged for a debate to be held 6 p.m., Oct. 22 at the Irving School at 9 Garden Place.
Foley said his campaign is willing to work with Staffieri’s campaign to decide the format.
Staffieri has refused to debate Foley in public, a fact the challenger finds frustrating.
“There are number of different issues that need to be brought to the people of Derby. A debate would be the format to do that,” Foley said.
Ken Hughes, Staffieri’s campaign manager and the president of the Board of Aldermen, said the mayor won’t be showing up at the Irving School.
Hughes said the Staffieri campaign simply doesn’t trust some of the Democrats in the audience. They would “twist anything the mayor said,” Hughes said.
“There’s bad blood there,” Hughes said.
He said the mayor is willing to meet with Foley in front of a reporter.
Hughes said the mayor did not debate during the 2005 or 2007 political campaigns.
Hughes has said the Republican strategy is to “take the campaign to the people” through weekly mailings.
Campaign finance disclosures show Staffieri’s campaign spent roughly $10,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30 on mailings, flyers, lawn signs, banners and other campaign literature.
Foley’s campaign spent about $3,500 from Aug. 28 to Oct. 8 on campaign literature.
“Flyers and contests do not answer the questions that the people of Derby want answered,” Foley said.
The letter delivered Thursday to Staffieri in person by Dan Sexton, Foley’s campaign manager, omitted the date of the proposed debate.
A letter sent by Sexton to the Valley Independent Sentinel included the missing information.
“I think they have a lot of issues. Based on their filings, they obviously have a money issue,” Hughes said.
Sexton said he hand-delivered the challenge to Staffieri because the Republicans said they never received a previous letter challenging the mayor to debate.
“We wanted to make sure they received it this time,” Foley said.
Foley said if the mayor does not appear at the Irving School, he’ll be there nonetheless.
“I plan to be there next Thursday. Let the chips fall where they may,” Foley said.
