Congressional Candidates to Appear at SUNY Plattsburgh Oct. 28

PLATTSBURGH, NY (10/23/2009)(readMedia)-- At least two of the three candidates for the 23rd Congressional District seat will speak at a public forum in SUNY Plattsburgh's E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Bill Owens and Dede Scozzafava have both made firm commitments to attend the forum, according to event organizer Patty Bentley. Bentley added that Doug Hoffman's campaign said he is making every effort to be there.

Free and open to the public, the forum will feature North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann and Plattsburgh Student Association President Lindsay Lyons as moderators.

Audience members will also have a chance to ask questions. They will be offered cards on which they can write questions and must sign their names. Members of the League of Women Voters will randomly select from the questions submitted; screen them to exclude personal attacks, profanity or one-candidate questions; and invite the audience member who submitted a particular question to read it aloud to the candidates.

Broadcast by Mountain Lake PBS and North Country Public Radio, the forum will be hosted by the SUNY Plattsburgh's Chapter of United University Professions and its Student Association, as well as the League of Women Voters of the Plattsburgh Area. The League has been partnering with Mountain Lake PBS to broadcast congressional election forums for more than 20 years.

According to Bentley, the forum is also being supported by a variety of other organizations including the Northeast Central Labor Council, the Plattsburgh Green Committee, the Northeast Regional Council of Teacher Associations, the Plattsburgh State Democrats, the Plattsburgh State Reds (Republicans), the Political Science Honorary Society, the Plattsburgh-Saranac Building Trades, Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood.