The run and shoot — the exciting, unpredictable offensive attack first popularized in the short-lived United States Football League (USFL).
What’s it have to do with Derby politics?
It could be used to describe the Derby Republicans’ strategy against Democrat challenger Dan Foley, Jr. — opting to throw bombs over his head, avoiding the head-on tackle.
On Tuesday, sometime after 8 p.m., we’ll see if the strategy pays off.
The No Debate Debate
Republican incumbent Mayor Anthony Staffieri has repeatedly declined to debate Foley.
That hasn’t stopped Foley and the Democrats from chasing the mayor — and making the lack of political debate one of the cornerstones of their campaign, as evidenced by Democratic campaign literature called “The Derby Update,” where the non-debate was front-page news.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, the Democrats even played host to a debate they organized at the Irving School.
Staffieri, as promised, did not appear. He was at a special meeting of the Board of Aldermen at 6 p.m. — a time earlier than the standard Aldermen meeting.
Democrats said Republicans purposefully scheduled the meeting at the same time as the debate so that it didn’t look like Staffieri was ducking Foley.
The Republicans said they scheduled the meeting earlier than usual because they were having trouble finding a quorum.
The debate then became a Foley forum.
During the 40-minute presentation, attended by about 40 residents, Foley repeatedly questioned the amount of money in the town’s fund balance and wondered why the money wasn’t used to save teachers who were laid off from the city’s school district.
(The Republicans maintain Foley and the Democrats are spreading misinformation about the city’s fund balance and that Derby schools received a larger year-to-year dollar increase than any other school in the state.)
Foley also said $1.75 million from the city’s fund balance should be used as payment to settle a lawsuit with Ceruzzi Derby Redevelopment, LLC — and criticized the Republicans for getting the city sued for breach of contract in the first place.
“I look over here. Mr. Stafierri is not here. Why not? Is he afraid to defend his administration?” Foley said, motioning to an empty podium meant for Staffieri.
Why No Debate?
The Democrats say Staffieri’s people know the mayor wouldn’t win a debate with Foley, a retired educator who schooled several generations of Derby school children.
However, Ken Hughes, Staffieri’s campaign manager and the president of the Board of Aldermen, said a public debate would devolve into name calling.
The comment isn’t out of left field, if you’ve ever attended a Board of Aldermen meeting.
The crowd can be more than a little tough. This summer, a prominent local Democrat publicly questioned Staffieri’s reading ability during a Board of Aldermen meeting.
The Democrats, however, said Hughes is running City Hall, which is why Staffieri won’t meet in a debate.
“I will not have someone do the speaking for me. I will take the blame, but I will also take the credit,” Foley said during his closing statement at last week’s debate.
The Republicans, though, have a similar “who is really running the campaign” argument.
In a Republican mailing that hit boxes Oct. 29, the Republicans tie Foley with Democratic Town Committee Chairman Sam Rizzitelli, accusing him of “using scare tactics and negative campaigning to mislead voters.”
Rizzitelli has denied that claim, while chastising the Republicans for their refusal to debate.
‘Taking It To The People’
It was the same charge lodged against the Democrats in April, when voters rejected a Republican-backed initiative that would have allowed the city to issue bonds to spur development in its redevelopment zone.
When asked if that loss has the Republicans running scared after the loss in April, Hughes said no.
He said state law prohibited Republicans in City Hall from aggressively fighting the Democratic onslaught against the April referendum.
It’s a different story this time, Hughes said.
The Republicans are peppering the city with weekly re-elect Staffieri mailings. As of Oct. 1, the mayor’s re-election campaign spent $10,000 on campaign literature, including weekly mailings promoting the Republican team.
How is Foley getting his message out?
“By going door to door,” he said. “My entire slate is going door to door. And our fliers.”
He’s apparently winning the sign campaign, with 550 Foley for Mayor signs in circulation compared to Staffieri’s 400. That’s according to Oct. 24 Facebook postings from both campaigns.
Still, campaign literature, lawn signs and door-to-door visits aside, debates are the only way the public gets to see and hear the candidates unfiltered, and to some extent, unrehearsed, as the editorial board at The Connecticut Post pointed out:
“The debate is part of the political fabric of this country. Put the parties face to face, with an adept referee to keep time and warn against low blows, and let the candidates go at it. All this, of course, in front of an audience. The venue is the test of a candidate’s ideas, composure, patience and a host of other variables,” editorial board members wrote.
Hughes said the editorial page writers aren’t completely in tune with the nuances of Derby politics.
“Look at the way the debate was handled,” Hughes said, referring to a challenge issued by the Democrats to the Republicans in early September. “They said they sent us a letter. We never received a letter.”
Hughes said the Democrats don’t have an agenda — other than attacking Republicans.
“There are a whole bunch of little nuances that really created bad blood between the two parties,” he said.
That being said, Hughes said Staffieri is willing to debate Foley one-on-one in front of a reporter of editor from one of the local publications.
That’s not a debate, but a joint interview, Democrats point out.
Debate, Incumbent Style
In a way, the Republicans have engaged Foley in debate, they’re just doing it through a back door — at public meetings, where Foley hasn’t regularly been seen.
“We want to address this because there’s been a lot of talk out there,” has been a Republican refrain at two recent municipal meetings.
“Out there” is code for “the Democrats are saying it in their campaign.”
Example — at the last meeting of the city’s Board of Taxation and Apportionment, officials made it a point state that the city’s fund balance (money kept it reserve, sometimes referred to as a “rainy day” fund) was at a healthy $4.1 million, as reported in the Connecticut Post.
The Post stated the fund balance conversation was initiated by Foley campaign flyers, which questioned where the money went.
After that tax board meeting, the Republicans accused Foley of not knowing what’s printed on his campaign literature.
Hughes said the issue was addressed by the tax board because they were the ones being victimized.
Foley has stuck by statements from the Democrats questioning the amount of money in the city’s fund balance.
He had nothing to say about the strategy the local GOP is using against him.
“I think it speaks for itself,” he said.
