The campaign for the two Millstone Township Committee seats that will be up for grabs in the Nov. 7 election is already shaping up like an old-fashioned cartoon.
In this episode, John Pfefferkorn, a Republican who is running this year as an independent, and Democrat William Nurko are running away from the GOP with yellow stripes down their backs.
Pfefferkorn and Nurko, who have both sat on the committee before and participated in public debates prior to past elections, have rejected Republicans and incumbents Nancy Grbelja and Elias Abilheira’s challenge to a debate this time around, and we think it is a mistake.
Not only are they denying their opponents a chance to refute their claims, but they are also snubbing their noses to the residents and members of the press who wanted to take part in what has been one of the great traditions in democracy.
What’s even more discouraging is that Pfefferkorn and Nurko’s spokesperson, Tom Ridgway, cited wanting to use a different moderator than the League of Women Voters as an excuse not to participate in the debate.
Pfefferkorn agreed to use the league in 2004 and Nurko agreed to use it in 2005, so we’re wondering what the change of heart was.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that has fought since 1920 to improve this nation’s systems of government and to change public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The league prides itself on neither supporting nor opposing candidates for office at any level of government, and many municipal government candidates in New Jersey wholeheartedly rely on their expertise when it comes to moderating a debate.
Given its credentials, this is not the type of organization we think Pfefferkorn and Nurko should disassociate themselves with.
We feel bad that these two candidates have denied residents – who may not otherwise get to see or hear what their candidates for office are all about – this public discourse on the important matters in the community that their taxes pay for.
What remains to be seen is if this refusal to debate will cost Pfefferkorn and Nurko the election.
Our advice is that they’ll have to move fast in reaching out to the community because we can already see the anvils starting to fall from the sky.