Johnson Challenges Fargo to Debate, Run Clean Campaign
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson today challenged Mayor Fargo to three, hour-long debates on the key issues facing Sacramento voters and called on her to sign a pledge to run a "clean" campaign.
Johnson proposed the debates center on education, economic development, and crime -- the top three issues that repeatedly have topped local voter opinion polls in Sacramento.
"The voters of Sacramento deserve more than 30-second sound bites on the bread-and-butter issues facing our city," said Johnson, in a letter to Mayor Fargo. "These hour-long debates will allow both of us to engage in detail on our proposals for the future of our community."
Johnson proposed that one of the three debates be hosted by the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to be broadcast on KUVS-TV, the local Univision affiliate. He said the two other debates could be hosted by other Sacramento media outlets.
In addition, Johnson also called on Fargo to join him in signing a clean campaign pledge that would call on either candidate to repudiate any negative independent expenditure campaigns that may occur. Mayor Fargo benefited from a much-criticized $100,000 IE campaign by the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union. Fargo failed repeatedly to repudiate the negative campaign -- despite signing a pledge to do so earlier.
"This campaign should be one of ideas, not personal negative attacks," wrote Johnson. "It is in the best interest of the voters of Sacramento that each of us condemn any outside interests that try to inject themselves into this campaign with negative attacks."
The two candidates participated in two debates in the campaign before the June election, one hosted by the Sacramento Bee/News10 and one by KCRA-TV.
