Update: Debate will Go On as Scheduled

The council candidates debate will go on as planned Thursday at 7 p.m. at Wayne Valley High School.

The seven Democratic candidates running for Town Council will participate in the event after they considered boycotting it because it will not be broadcast live on television.

The League of Women Voters of Wayne (LWV) announced the event's location had to be changed when a conflict was discovered regarding the origiinal venue.

Originally, the debate was to be held in the council chamber in the municipal complex, but the Board of Education had a meeting scheduled for the same location.

The LWV was responsible for finding a venue for the event.

“We didn’t check the [board of education’s] calendar, we just assumed it was okay to use the council chamber,” said Alice Moskowitz, a member of the LWV's board of directors. “I don’t know the reason for the mix up. We did the best we could to provide another venue.”

Board of Education President Donald Pavlak Jr. said the board sent its meeting schedule to the township for approval in May. Pavlak said no one ever contacted him to move the meeting to another location.

The event was to broadcast live on cable channel 77, which is operated by the township, but the high school cafeterias where the debate will be held contain no recording or broadcast equipment.  

Moskowitz said in an e-mail that the debate will be videotaped and submitted to the township to run on channel 77 with a request that it be run "as often as possible."

One microphone will be passed around to the candidates and audience members during the event.

“I don’t know how you run a debate with one microphone,” said Clark Okun, first vice president of the Wayne Democratic Club.

Okun said the LWV told him of the debate’s location in August. Moskowitz said she only learned of the scheduling conflict on Monday.

According to Moskowtiz, the Republicans requested two police officers at the event. It would cost approximately $250 to provide police for the two-hour event.

“We don’t have the budget for something like that,” Moskowitz said.

Okun said that the Democrats never considered having a police presence at the debate.

Mark Semeraro, chairman of the Wayne Regular Republican Organization, said the Republican candidates are "looking forward to the debate."