ES College Wants Debate

By [Dan Rivoli] Whenever there an incumbent officeholder faces an opponent, the challenger"s calls for debate can be deafening. A debate puts the challenger on equal footing with the incumbent, who often has more money and name recognition. â??It"s almost a universal law of politics, said Doug Muzzio, professor of public affairs at Baruch College. Following that law, Reshma Saujani has asked to debate Maloney a number of times, only to be rebuffed. Saujani claimed that Maloney agreed to a debate while at a Queens community meeting, but Maloney"s campaign says this was not the case. Now Baruch College has put out an invitation for the two to debate. Benjamin Guttmann, president of Undergraduate Student Government, sent a letter to both campaigns asking for a debate Aug. 26. â??We believe that political discourse in the public sphere is an essential component of the democratic process. As an institution of higher learning for public affairs within the NY-14 district and with 16,000 enrolled students, we have a long history of serving the community by hosting debates for civic office, Guttmann wrote in the letter. Saujani accepted. Maloney did not. â??It"s essential that primary voters have an opportunity to hear the two candidates debate the most critical issues for our district, said Saujani. Maloney"s campaign spokesperson said she is speaking to voters about the district"s needs. â??Right now, Carolyn is fighting to get our economy back on track. Having secured billions of dollars for the 2nd Avenue Subway and Eastside Access, creating jobs remains her top priority, campaign spokesperson Alix Anfang said in a statement. â??As always, Carolyn is focused on talking directly to voters about their concerns and ideas. In response, Saujani"s campaign pointed out that when Maloney was considering a primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand last year, she wanted to debate.