Street Jazz

New blood is being pumped  into the Arkansas Music Pavilion!

Life is good.

I dunno - maybe they should start by just moving the damn thing out of the Mall parking lot?

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Wow - 20 debates already? Let’s have some more!

Well I’m all debated out - how about you?

I have to admit, though, that the national debates are a little more exciting than our local debates manage to be. Ours have always been a little too calm. Is it the format, the questions, or do we have candidates who aren’t used to being on television?

For the last few years most candidate debates have been on Fayetteville Government Channel, which does an admirable job of putting them on. But that shouldn’t preclude anyone else from organizing a debate on Community Access Television if they so desire.

If there is a camera and a microphone, candidates will show up.

I, for one, would love to see more spirited discussions on the local level than the often flat answers we so often get. Yes, okay, I like to see the snarls, the rejoinders, and the “But I need to respond to that last remark!” we so often see in national debates.

And when I write that anyone can put a debate on C.A.T., that is literally true; all you need is a crew. Which I suspect wouldn’t be that hard to find. A church, a political party, the Boy Scouts, a human rights group or a Neighborhood Association could come down and organize a debate dealing with the issues they care about.

It’s never too early to start thinking about this stuff. Even though election season in Fayetteville doesn’t  “officially” begin until September, several candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring for mayor, and folks are being approached for aldermen seats.

I’ve even been approached. Sometimes I think bout it, and then I remember my three failed attempts in the past  - a true “mandate from the people.”

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Fayetteville mayoral debate - 1972

1972 saw six candidates running for mayor of Fayetteville. There wasn’t a lot going on in the way of televised debates at the time - FGC was not in the business of putting them on yet - and so we devoted an hour of my show to a live mayoral debate.

We sent out press releases, and got a special moderator to ask the questions that my crew spent all week working on. When the evening arrived newspaper reporters came, TV news crews were there, and five of the six candidates showed up.

By everyone’s reckoning, the evening was a Grand Success.

The candidate who didn’t show up?

Fred Hanna, who won the election. Yes, I know it was after a run-off, and after Comrade Coody was smeared by the NWA Times, but still, you have to appreciate the irony.

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Quote of the Day

It’s not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line. - Ashleigh Brilliant

rsdrake@nwark.com