Penn State Intercom......August 29 , 2002

Gubernatorial candidates to go
head-to-head in prime-time debate

In the first major debate of the fall campaign season, the four candidates on the ballot for governor of Pennsylvania will meet Sept. 19 for the IssuesPA Gubernatorial Debate at Penn State. The question-and-answer format will feature the candidates fielding pre-taped and live questions from an audience made up largely of college and high school students.

The event will be held at Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus. It will be broadcast live over-the-air statewide on the Pennsylvania Public Television Network, a network of seven public broadcasting stations. The 90-minute debate will start at 8 p.m. Tickets to the event will be available to the general public starting Sept. 10 through the Center for Performing Arts Box Office at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Republican candidate Mike Fisher, Libertarian Ken Krawchuk, Green Party candidate Mike Morrill and Democrat Ed Rendell have agreed to participate in the forum.

Patty Satalia, host of WPSX-TV’s “Take Note” and producer of the “Pennsylvania Game,” will moderate the debate, which will feature questions from college journalists; questions from the studio audience; and questions from the moderator.

The debate, as formatted, also allows time for “rapid-fire” questions to the candidates. Candidates will be asked to respond to these questions in 10 words or less. Additionally, each candidate will have two “Time Out Cards” to challenge an opponent’s remarks.

IssuesPA is a non-partisan, statewide awareness project focused exclusively on raising the issues most critical to Pennsylvania’s future during the 2002 Governor’s race. Launched by the Pennsylvania Economy League and funded in part by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, IssuesPA is not about electing an individual or promoting any specific legislation. Its purpose is to help bring focus to the 2002 Governor’s race away from personality contests, partisan attacks and point spreads — and toward the issues that will ultimately shape the future of the Commonwealth.

The Pennsylvania Economy League is an independent, nonprofit public policy research organization. It is a force for positive change — the state’s leading regionally based, statewide public policy organization. Working with Pennsylvania’s public and private sectors, the league provides independent research and insight on emerging issues to stimulate public and private action to make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and do business. The organization’s goal is to create a knowledgeable corporate and civic audience that will ensure the Commonwealth’s economic competitiveness.

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