On what normally would be a lazy summer Sunday afternoon, at a house usually reserved for weddings, family reunions and day camps for kids, two sets of opponents will kick off what could be a long, dirty political race.
Mayor Kitty Piercy will face off against former mayor Jim Torrey in the first mayoral debate of the general election season this Sunday. Incumbent County Commissioner Bobby Green and his challenger, Rob Handy, will follow in their first debate for the North Eugene seat of the Lane County Board of Commissioners.
If the swipes and jabs that made the primary races testy, and at times comical, continue, this Sunday could be a heated preview of what’s to come this fall – and there’s going to be free cake and lemonade at the event.
The debate will take place at the Wayne Morse Ranch located in South Eugene and is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lane County.
“There were very close run-offs (this primary race), and this event should gain a lot of attention,” said Flo Alvergue, voter service chair for the League.
The event is scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., she said. Piercy and Torrey take the stage at 1:30 p.m., and Green and Handy will begin shortly after the mayoral debate concludes, around 2:15 p.m., Alvergue said.
“It seemed to be a good Sunday afternoon, and we hope there is going to be a large turnout,” Alvergue said.
Torrey and Piercy’s May 20 primary race finale was a night spent at the Lane County Fairgrounds watching vote counts come in that flip-flopped throughout the night.
Piercy wound up winning the contest by fewer than 800 votes.
Torrey remained confident, however, as the former Republican-turned-Independent candidate acknowledged the night was more about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, a race that brought out many voters who likely aligned with Piercy.
With the Republican nomination clinched by John McCain, many would-be Torrey supporters, Republican and Independent party members, did not vote in the election.
“I am ready,” Torrey said about the upcoming debate and general election race.
Torrey said after taking a short break he has spent every afternoon calling registered voters who did not participate in the primary election.
“My wife kicks me out everyday and says ‘Jim, you have to go out and make those calls,’” Torrey said.
The Piercy camp has not been silent during the voting off-season and been “getting ready setting things up” for the long election road ahead, said Ashley Miller, the Piercy campaign co-manager.
“It should be a pretty casual debate,” Miller said. “It’s kind of fun to keep the buzz going this early in the election season.”
The debate format will be shorter and more relaxed than the traditional City Club-sponsored debates. Each candidate will have a few minutes to introduce him or herself, and ask one question of the other candidate. Then the floor will be open to questions from the audience.
Rob Handy’s campaign manager, Phyllis Barkhurst, said she likes this format, as the open question session will be an indicator of what the people are more interested in this fall.
“Luckily this is a non-partisan race … so this is really a race about what the issues are and that is it’s time from a change,” Barkhurst said.
Handy beat incumbent Green by 998 votes in the primary election. However, Green is the longest-serving member of the county board of commissioners and doesn’t plan on giving up his seat without a fight.
“I will continue to answer and respond to the questions (in the debate) unlike my opponent in the primary,” Green said in an e-mail. “I will remind my constituents that change is not enough; it’s progress that makes the difference.”
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