Bob Martin to Senator Turner: “When did voters lose their right to hear the candidates on the issues?”

Senator Turner continues to duck the debates that were jointly proposed.

Ewing (October 23, 2007) – Bob Martin, Republican State Senate candidate in the 15th district, today called on incumbent Democrat Shirley Turner to finally follow through on her promise to debate. After countless changes in date and location, it appears that Turner has no intention of following up on her agreement to debate the issues in front of the voters.

Martin originally requested five debates in a September 11 article in the Times of Trenton. Turner not only agreed, she even suggested that there be more than five debates, saying, “Voters have a right to expect us to debate on issues that are important to them.”

Martin stated, “All of the pieces have been in place for us to debate - sponsor, panelist, moderator, location, time and date – but the Turner campaign keeps finding reasons to duck out. I’d like to hear Senator Turner explain why she no longer believes that the voters have the right to hear us debate the issues that are important to them.”

The League of Women Voters in Lawrence Township generously offered to sponsor a debate and confirmed panelists John Harmon, President of the Metropolitan Trenton African American Chamber of Commerce, and Patrick Murray, Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

The original location was Rider University, but the Turner campaign objected – oddly, since she works there. Next, the Music Hall at The College of New Jersey was proposed, but the Turner campaign rejected this as well. Finally, they agreed to the War Memorial in Trenton and a room was reserved.

Five days before the confirmed debate on October 24th was to take place, the Turner campaign claimed they could not be there after all, due to a “scheduling conflict.”

“There was no reason offered for the change in date, simply that the original date agreed upon by both sides would no longer work for their campaign,” said Martin. “When it’s never been more clear that the people of New Jersey are tired of partisan politics, is it too much to expect that a State Senator answer questions from her constituents in a debate every few years?”

Martin continued, “Critical issues including skyrocketing property taxes, rising gang violence, and a net loss of 230,000 New Jersey residents in the last five years deserve the attention of elected officials and must be addressed. I have offered very specific solutions to these problems – solutions that voters can read about on my website – while my opponent refuses to take even a little time to discuss these issues in a debate so that voters can make an informed choice on November 6th.”

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