Weekly Mayoral Debates Continue Friday

Newsom not expected to participate

Mayoral candidates (from left to right) Tony Hall, Billy Bob Whitmer, Quintin Mecke,
Lonnie Holmes, Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, h. brown, Harold Hoogasian, Josh Wolf,
George Davis, Wilma Pang and Grasshopper Kaplan.
Photo by Luke Thomas

From the campaign to elect Josh Wolf

September 6, 2007

Most people would contend that debate and discourse are essential to the democratic process. Following mayor Gavin Newsom's absence from the fourth debate the Tenant Associations Coalition hosted yesterday, people are asking if Newsom is the exception.

Newsom has not responded to requests for his attendance and is not expected to participate.

This Friday, Sept. 7, the San Francisco mayoral candidates will again gather at 5 p.m. on the lawn in front of City Hall. At least eight of the twelve candidates are expected to attend. The debates, organized by the 2007 Mayoral Candidates Collaborative, will continue every Friday until the election in November.

Friday's debate will start at 5 p.m. and run until 6:30 p.m. The San Francisco Bay Guardian will be sponsoring the forum moderated by City Editor Steve Jones. Each candidate will be given three minutes to introduce him or herself. Jones will then ask issue-specific questions to the candidates, and the debate will conclude with the moderator taking questions from the audience for specific candidates, or for the entire panel.

About the Collaborative

The origins of the Candidates Collaborative can be traced back to the 2004 District Five Board of Supervisors' race when "Diamond Dave" Whitaker envisioned a forum through which candidates could unite around the issues they share, build alliances and provide a forum for all the candidates. With the help of Julian Davis' leadership, the first Candidates Collaborative proved an amazing success and nearly all of the 22 candidates participated, including Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.

Host a debate

A representative from a different media outlet will present each debate in the series. Outlets interested in hosting a future debate are encouraged to contact Josh Wolf to schedule a forum session.

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