Kelly, DiNicola spar over debate schedule
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly has rejected a new proposal from challenger Ron DiNicola to change the location and sponsorship of one of the three debates Kelly has scheduled and to add a fourth debate.
DiNicola, a Democrat from Erie who is challenging Kelly in the upcoming election to represent the newly formed 16th District, said he would agree to the three debates Kelly has scheduled if the proposed Oct. 16 debate is moved from Grove City College in Mercer County to a yet-to-be determined location in that county and is sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
In addition, DiNicola said he wants Kelly to participate in a debate to be held by the Jefferson Education Society of Erie. The date and location of that debate were not announced.
If Kelly agrees to those changes, DiNicola said he would participate in the other two debates Kelly has scheduled at Mercyhurst University Oct. 8 and at the Butler County Community College Oct. 30.
“We're making this proposal in public, and in good faith, in order to underscore the importance of the debates and the necessity of a reasonable compromise,” DiNicola said in a statement. “We are eager and ready to debate.”
Kelly's spokesman Mike Barley said Kelly is standing behind the three debates he has scheduled and he hopes DiNicola attends.
“Congressman Kelly has been extraordinarily generous to his challenger by offering to engage him in three separate debates. In comparison, Gov. Wolf has offered to do only one debate with his challenger Scott Wagner; Sen. Bob Casey has offered to do only two debates with his challenger Lou Barletta; candidates for president of the United States traditionally engage in three debates, the same number we are offering,” Barley said.
“Again, based upon the congressional calendar, our team went ahead and organized the time, place, and location for all three debates back in June. We stand by these times and locations and we hope to see our opponent in Erie, Grove City, and Butler in October.”The three debates Kelly proposed are in the three media markets in the 16th District.DiNicola said he wasn't contacted by Kelly before he unilaterally scheduled the three debates in June. He said he wanted input from news organizations, public interest groups and civic groups to schedule debates.Since then, DiNicola has said he wants to have five debates, one in each county in the 16th District including the League of Women Voters debate. The debate proposed by the Jefferson Education Society would have been the sixth debate.The 16th District includes all of Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Lawrence counties and most of western Butler County.
