Most Dems to Skip Thursday Debate

The show must go on for the Riverhead Democratic Primary debate, even if only two of the party's five candidates show up.

The debate, moderated by the League of Women Voters and hosted by two civic associations — Americans for Legal Reform and the Center for Judicial Accountability — is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Polish Town Hall on Thursday.

The event, proposed and coordinated by Democratic candidate for supervisor Greg Fischer and his running mate, Ruth Pollack, was rejected by fellow party members Marlando Williams, Matthew Van Glad and Fischer's opponent Phil Cardinale, who said he would not attend due to Fischer's behavior in the past few weeks, which included a .

"I’m not going to give Fischer yet another opportunity to do what he has constantly done in the past, which is to distort the truth and distort the facts,” Cardinale told Patch.

Fischer called Cardinale's complaints "nonsense" and said the other candidates have an obligation to their constituency to attend the debate.

"They have a duty to show themselves, regardless of me," Fischer said. "I've been out there, warts and all, as they say."

The debate was to consist of several three- to five-minute question and answer periods between candidates over issues facing the town, but Fischer said if he's the only one to show up, the event will just end early. He said he hoped 50 members of the public would attend, but admitted that number was a rough guess.

The event will also feature comments by representatives of the two nonprofit civic associations who sponsored the event. Elena Sassower, director and co-founder of the Center for Judicial Accountability, said she was approached by Fischer to co-sponsor the event. It will be the first time her organization will host a debate.

"I consider it a great honor and privilege," Sassower said. "This is a public service, and that is to enhance and facilitate. Unless voters know their candidates they can't vote intelligently."

Sassower said she was disappointed to hear the other candidates would not be attending.

"This is their chance to shine," she said. Sassower added that she feels the candidates should attend the debate, even though they disapprove of the candidate they'd face off against.

"If they believe that Greg Fischer or Ruth Pollack aren't to be taken seriously, this is their opportunity to say that," she said. "This is an opportunity for them to present themselves to voters. I am hard put to understand why any candidate wouldn't seize the opportunity."