Middletown mayoral debate at Wesleyan

On Tuesday, October 6, the Wesleyan Students Assembly is hosting a student-moderated on-campus debate between the candidates in Middletown’s mayoral election: two-term Republican incumbent Sebastian Giuliano, and Democratic challenger Dan Drew.

The debate will be held in the Memorial Chapel and is targeted towards the Wesleyan community, but anyone from Middletown is encouraged to attend and participate.

Wesleyan is a significant part of the Middletown community, and there’s a good chance that enough Wes votes might swing the election towards either candidate. Which means that, if you plan to vote in November, you would do well to learn about what’s at stake for this town before making a decision.

Middletown elects mayors to two-year terms, so underclassmen should especially take note – your vote will help decide what the local environment is like for a lot of your time here.

For some background, read the Argus coverage of the election so far and interviews of Sebastian Giuliano and Dan Drew.

Drew is likely to be the favorite of Wes voters: a fresh-faced Democrat who has the Internet thing down, with both a Facebook page and his own website, against a more experienced Republican. Sound familiar?

Of course, national politics is very different from local politics, and it’s important to understand what Middletown needs and what each of these guys is about instead of blindly supporting the one we’re conditioned to.

So stop by the debate on Tuesday for some civic education. Check out the Facebook event here.

Date: Tuesday, October 6
Time: 8-10 pm
Place: Memorial Chapel

Thanks to the WSA for organizing this event. Wesleying is sponsoring the debate along with the Center for Community Partnerships, Psi U, the Argus, The Middletown Eye, and The Safe and Friendly Neighborhood, so if you have any questions or issues you want either of the candidates to address, comment on this post soon and they might be raised at the debate.