Wednesday, October 18, 2006
THE RECORD EDITORIAL
IT is 20 days until Election Day. Do you know where your congressman is?
If you're in the 5th District represented by Scott Garrett, you probably haven't seen him. You almost certainly haven't seen him in a candidates' debate.
Garrett, a Republican representing the district that stretches from Warren across northern Passaic and Bergen counties, is facing a challenge from Democrat Paul Aronsohn. He and Garrett have diametrically opposing views on key issues, from abortion rights to embryonic stem cell research to offshore oil drilling. Voters in this district would benefit from hearing the two candidates challenge each other's positions.
But Garrett is refusing to appear alongside Aronsohn in any forum where more than a tiny fraction of the district's voters could see or hear them.
Is Garrett afraid of something? Is this Sussex County congressman trying to hide his record and views from voters, specifically from voters in Bergen and Passaic counties, who tend to be more politically moderate?
In the 2004 election, Garrett likewise refused to participate in any significant debate against
Democratic challenger Anne Wolfe. He appeared in a radio debate that year on a Warren County station. He's doing the same thing this time.
The radio event between Garrett and Aronsohn will be sponsored by WRNJ, a station in Hackettstown that broadcasts to Warren County and a tiny slice of Sussex County -- the least populous part of Garrett's district. The exchange will air from noon to 1 p.m., hardly prime time. And it will take place Friday, Nov. 3 -- four days before the election. If any news comes out of the debate, on Garrett's or Aronsohn's views or performance, it will likely be overlooked by voters.
Few of Garrett's constituents will hear him on this radio show. Few will see him in his scheduled appearance today with Aronsohn at an AARP forum in Westwood. This event is also in the middle of a weekday. It will not be broadcast. Garrett and Aronsohn will receive questions from the audience rather than from reporters.
Garrett's only other public forum with Aronsohn was last weekend at a River Edge synagogue, where Garrett refused to debate. Instead, he insisted on taking questions from the audience without the candidates addressing each other.
Garrett said this question-and-answer session allowed more substantive discussion than a debate. But the advantage of debates is that candidates typically know their opponents' records better than voters. They can ask tough follow-up questions.
Garrett has had the opportunity for real debates. News 12 New Jersey and the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers offered in September to arrange a televised debate. The Record made a similar offer last week. Both times, Aronsohn was willing. Garrett couldn't seem to find time in his schedule.
But other congressmen do find time. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, Bill Pascrell, D-Paterson, and Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, have each been in Congress longer than Garrett. Each faces a less competitive race this year than Garrett. Each is participating in at least one debate in the heart of his district.
Why not Garrett?
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