GOP candidate Rich Dziekan, left, and Mayor Anita Dugatto, right.
The two candidates for Derby mayor have agreed to a public debate scheduled to take place 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 in the Derby High School auditorium.
The event is free and is open to the public.
The high school’s address is 75 Chatfield St. in Derby.
The debate is being sponsored by Derby Public Schools and ValleyIndy.org.
The event will be the first public mayoral debate in Derby in 12 years.
Two-term Democratic incumbent Mayor Anita Dugatto is facing a challenge from Republican candidate Rich Dziekan.
It’s a rematch from Election Day 2015, which saw Dugatto defeat Dziekan by 112 votes.
The two Valley Indy reporters will moderate the debate.
The debate’s format is still being finalized, but it will likely see the candidates question each other, in addition to answering questions from The Valley Indy reporters.
Derby students will be involved as well.
Derby residents can email suggested debate questions to.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Be sure to include your first and last name. The Valley Indy will choose some questions at random.
The Valley Indy is a two-person nonprofit online newspaper supported mainly through grants from philanthropic groups such as The Valley Community Foundation and The Katharine Matthies Foundation.
This is the third debate of the 2017 campaign season organized with help from The Valley Indy.
In September, Dugatto debated Alderman Carmen DiCenso during a Valley Indy podcast just before her victory in the Democratic primary for mayor. A total of 682 people listened to that podcast.
The two candidates for mayor in Ansonia debated during a livestream from The Valley Indy’s office in Ansonia Oct. 9.
About 4,000 people watched the video online, with about 500 people commenting. Another 180 people listened to the audio-only podcast.
Election Day is Nov. 7.
Derby Mayoral Debate 10-24-2017 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
