A significant voice will be missing from the gubernatorial forum at the Memorial Union Theater tonight, as Republican Gov. Scott McCallum turned down the opportunity to speak with the university community, according to event organizer and UW-Madison sophomore, Brian Bourke.
The debate will be attended by state Sen. Gary George, D-Milwaukee, and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, two of the Democratic primary hopefuls, along with Jim Young and Ed Thompson, the Green Party and Libertarian nominees, respectfully. The two other Democratic candidates, state Attorney General Jim Doyle and Rep. Tom Barrett, D-Wis., will not be able to attend but will send someone to take their place.
\We had invited Scott McCallum but ... we were told the governor will not be appearing in any gubernatorial candidate forums or debates until after the Democratic primary,"" Bourke said.
Representatives from a number of campaigns said the candidates were excited for the opportunity to address the student population and explain their platforms.
""The biggest thing that Kathleen wants to get across is why she decided to run,"" said Tom Russell, campaign manager for Falk. ""[Students] need to hear why you're running for governor, why you want to be governor and what you want to do.""
Despite his inability to attend the event due to a commitment in Washington, D.C., Barrett felt it was necessary to have Dane County Clerk Joe Parisi represent him, according to Brigid O'Brien, communications director for his campaign.
""We felt this was a very important event and we wanted to send someone to communicate his views to students,"" she said.
The two-hour forum will consist of a three-minute introduction by each gubernatorial hopeful, followed by them from two moderators, one a student and the other UW-Madison law Professor Joel Rogers, Bourke said. He added that after the formal session ended the candidates would be open for a question and answer session from the audience.
The event is hosted in conjunction with Earth Week, and organized by the UW-Madison Vote 2002 Coalition, according to Bourke, who is also Earth Day coordinator for WISPIRG.
He added that the issues most likely to be discussed during the course of the forum are: state funding for the university, tuition increases and the question of whether the UW System Board of Regents should be elected instead of appointed by the governor.
""This is the first time in 16 years we've had a competitive gubernatorial election,"" Bourke said. ""It's important that a lot of these issues are addressed and talked about. The university community is a warm, welcoming community for debate.\
