NEW FAIRFIELD -- Every two years for the past 36, candidates for selectmen in New Fairfield have faced off in a debate sponsored by the town's weekly newspaper, the Citizen-News.


But that long-running tradition may come to an end this year.


Democrat Monika Thiel said that long-standing ties between the forum's organizers and town officials made "a bias-free, independent" debate impossible.


As a result, Thiel announced Tuesday that neither she nor Selectman Thomas Corbett will be debating three-term Republican First Selectman John Hodge and his running mate, Susan Chapman, unless the Brookfield League of Women Voters moderates the event.


"New Fairfield is a small town, and a lot of folks are familiar with what's going on around here. Because of their relationships and associations with town government, we felt it would be appropriate to have an independent party involved," Thiel said.


In a letter to Burnett earlier this week, LWV President Deirdre Coury offered the group's assistance in finding a moderator for the debate, which is scheduled for Oct. 14.


The League wouldn't be involved in planning the format, providing timekeepers or formulating questions for the candidates, Coury said.


Citizen News editor and publisher Ellen Burnett said Tuesday evening she has no objection to working with the League, but under the guidelines the forum has operated under for years, the main job of the moderator is to introduce the candidates.


"The league has never been the issue," Burnett said. "If I could have done anything to prevent the debate from going under, I would."


Burnett said she's still hopeful of reaching a compromise that would allow the debate to go on.


Thiel's assistant campaign manager, Jody Gemmell, said Democrats contacted the Citizen-News and the Republicans several weeks ago about getting a non-partisan group involved in running the debate.  "We couldn't get anybody to talk to us," she said.


Hodge said Republicans have no objections to the current format, and accused the Democrats of "trying to shove the League of Women Voters down the Citizen-News' throat."


"It's not up to us or the opposition party to tell the Citizen-News how to run their event. I think, at the end of the day, they just don't want to debate," he said.
Contact John Pirro


at jpirro@newstimes.com
or at 203-731-3342.