Senate candidate debate to be held on MUW campus

MUW PRESS RELEASE:

COLUMBUS, Miss. — Mississippi University for Women will host a debate for District 17 Mississippi Senate candidates Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in Poindexter Hall, Kossen Auditorium.

William B. “Bill” Canon, Bill Gavin, Bobby Patrick and Charles “Chuck” Younger are the four candidates who will participate in the debate moderated by staff members of The W’s newspaper, The Spectator. Candidates will have the opportunity to give a brief opening statement, address questions from The W student body and general audience and close with a statement.

The special election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 4. to fill the seat vacated by longtime lawmaker Terry Brown, who lost his battle with cancer in September. The winner of the special election will hold the District 17 seat for one year and will represent the northern two-thirds of Lowndes County including much, but not all, of Columbus. New boundaries, reflecting the 2010 census, will begin with the regularly scheduled election.

“Terry Brown did much to bring large scale economic development to Lowndes County, which can be most easily seen with the industries located around the Golden Triangle Regional Airport,” said Dr. Brian Anderson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The biggest question now is whether or not his successor, as a new member of the senate, can continue to pursue economic advantages on this scale, or if the district’s priorities by necessity must shift to other matters.”

Brown, who was from Columbus, was Senate president pro tem. He had served in the Senate since 2004 and in the state House from 1988-2000.

“Terry Brown was a champion of economic development in the Golden Triangle,” said Jeff Clark, publisher of The Columbus Packet. “The district not only lost a friend and a senator, but also one of the most powerful elected officials on the state level. We decided to help organize the debate because it brings the issues directly to the people. A debate should somewhat deter the ‘popularity contest’ aspect of the election and force the candidates to share their views and goals with the voters.”

The debate, which is open to the public, is being sponsored by The W’s Department of Communication; the Department of History, Political Science, and Geography; the Student Government Association; The Spectator; and The Columbus Packet.