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Gubernatorial debates still up in the air

BY NICOLE SACK, THE SOUTHERN

Friday, June 30, 2006 6:49 AM CDT

No election season would be complete without a debate - including a debate about having debates.

Just when you think Gov. Rod Blagojevich and State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka have battled over each possible topic - healthcare, the state budget, ethics - they can now add to their list an argument about when, where and how to argue with each other.

The Blagojevich campaign says it cannot set dates for debates or joint appearances because the Topinka camp is rejecting its offers.

The Topinka camp says it is trying to work out a schedule with the Blagojevich camp, but their requests for negotiations are being ignored.

Both campaigns, coincidently, say this inability to compromise is hurting Illinois voters.

Sheila Nix, spokeswoman for the Blagojevich campaign, said the day after the March primary, the governor challenged the treasurer to a debate per month during the summer, with additional debates in the fall. So far there has been one debate, a televised forum on the Chicago NBC affiliate.

"We've been asking them to debate since the primary and they keep postponing it. It's been a little bit frustrating, because I think they are playing games," Nix said. "We can't lock down anything - because we don't feel that they are straightforward in any this debate stuff, because once we say yes, they start changing the conditions."

There's a different tune from Topinka's people.

"Over a week ago, our campaign manager made a call to the Blagojevich campaign to discuss the possibility of sitting down and working out a debate schedule," said John McGovern, Topinka campaign spokesman. "He was told that they would be back in touch - which they have not been - and then we put in a second call that went unanswered."

McGovern said Topinka, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, is eager to debate Blagojevich and has proposed an extensive schedule of 12 debates beginning after Labor Day.

"If the purpose of the debate is to educate voters and get people engaged it really makes sense to do that when people are paying attention," McGovern said of the Labor Day start date. "As far as we are concerned, all the invitations are still on the table and we will continue to review all our options and we hope to do as many as feasibly possible."

Nix said postponing debate until September will limit the number of opportunities and venues that have requested appearances. Furthermore, she said the stall in debate talks between the campaigns is not because Blagojevich is dodging hard questions about his administration.

"The governor actually feels pretty good about his record on ethics and feels that the investigations are going to end up going just fine, so he's not afraid to do a debate on ethics. As a matter of fact, we said we'd do it in a televised debate before the Fourth of July. After we agreed to it, which is something they probably didn't think we'd do, then their answer was, 'Oh, well, no.'"

The Southern Illinoisan and WSIU Public Television in coordination with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute have extended invitations to both the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates to debate in Marion on Sept. 5.

So far neither campaign has committed to the event, which would be the first gubernatorial debate in more than 20 years to be conducted in Southern Illinois.

nicole.sack@thesouthern.com

(618) 529-5454 ext. 5816