Editorial Editorial (February 06, 2004)

Voters need to see candidates debate

With less than four weeks until the politically-charged March 2 primary, local voters should have the opportunity to learn as much as they can about all the candidates and propositions, including those for state Senate.

Most voters have received the printed ballot statements and many will do additional research to better educate themselves, but the best sense of any candidate is gleaned when they take part in a head-to-head debate with their main opponent in the local community.

That's why we were concerned when Democratic state Senate candidate Manny Diaz unexpectedly cancelled a debate with Elaine Alquist, his major opponent, earlier this week at Mountain View's Adobe Building.

As a sitting Assembly member who is running for state Senate, Diaz understandably has commitments in Sacramento. But because Diaz has represented San Jose in virtually all of his previous service, every date scheduled in the North County is extremely important to local voters if they are to make an intelligent choice on March 2.

Diaz has attended and is planning to attend several question-and-answer forums, which also feature other candidates, but did not appear for the debate. A last-minute schedule change related to his state Assembly duties was the reason for the cancellation, according to a member of his campaign staff.

It is admirable that Diaz shows such a high commitment to his legislative responsibilities and his current San Jose constituents.

However, while he is campaigning to represent a much larger Senate district, he needs to recognize that many people he has never represented want to see him defend his positions in the heat of an unscripted debate.

Unfortunately, other past behavior regarding Diaz's political commitments is also a bit disconcerting. He showed up one hour late to a discussion about the state and county budgets at Mountain View City Hall on Jan. 16 where he was scheduled to take questions from city officials across the county. And Diaz canceled another debate with Alquist in San Jose last November.

As the only candidate in the state Senate primaries currently working out of Sacramento, Diaz certainly has the most difficulty campaigning in his home district. Alquist, who served the maximum number of terms in the Assembly representing Mountain View, has been out of public service for over a year and has more flexibility in her campaign schedule.

Still, we hope that Diaz will make room in his schedule to debate Alquist before voters make their decisions. Because both Diaz and Alquist appear equally qualified for the position they are vying for, it would be disappointing if the only thing that sets them apart is his lack of visibility in Mountain View.

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