Orlando Sentinel

New nonpartisa­n

Nonprofit commission aims to create ‘template’ for events

- By Steven Lemongello Staff Writer

group aims to revamp political debates.

The Commission on Presidenti­al Debates has set clear, bipartisan standards for years, and now a group of Central Floridians wants to do the same thing for local political debates, starting in Orlando.

Many smaller events “focus on people in the room,” said Greg Eisenberg, one of the cofounders of the Commission on Local Debates. “Our audience is the thousands of people at home.”

The nonprofit commission created this summer aims to raise $50,000 for the 2018 campaign season.

Eisenberg, 26, said its goal is to create a “template” for debates between candidates for county, city, state and congressio­nal offices that can be used by sister groups across the state and eventually the country.

“We’ll start off with state House and county mayor, and then we want to go as deep as possible,” he said. “If affiliates want to do sewer and water [commission debates], do sewer and water. All these positions have such a direct impact on all of our lives.”

Producing the debates can be done with partners, including the Tiger Bay political clubs, the League of Women Voters or local media organizati­ons, he said.

But one of the biggest investment­s the commission would make is marketing the events to the public, staying abreast of technologi­cal advances and making debates easier to watch or listen online or offering a transcript.

Moderator requiremen­ts and candidate eligibilit­y would be standardiz­ed, Eisenberg said, with one potential option being to start a class for moderator training.

“We want to make sure the theming, feel and vibe behind the debate stays nonpartisa­n,” he said.

Fair representa­tion also is important to the group’s founders, whose background­s are politicall­y diverse.

“Debates that engage viewers and have clear-cut demonstrat­ions of beliefs and policy are one of the best ways to educate people.” Natalie Martinez, Commission on Local Debates co-founder

Eisenberg, an independen­t, is a marketing strategist and former campus housing director at the University of Central Florida who unsuccessf­ully ran for Orange County Commission in 2016. He serves on the county Agricultur­al Advisory Board and the MetroPlan Orlando Community Advisory Committee.

Co-founder Natalie Martinez, 24, a public affairs specialist at Align Public Strategies in Orlando, had worked for Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and has since switched her registrati­on to Democratic.

Questions and moderators would be determined by a board of prominent Democrats and Republican­s, she said, but the commission would also require that at least 10 percent of the board be independen­ts.

“One thing the model of the Commission on Presidenti­al Debates absolutely gets wrong is that they’re continuous­ly being sued by thirdparty or unaffiliat­ed candidates,” Eisenberg said.

He stressed that while he has reached out to party chairs, the parties themselves and current party leaders will not be directly involved. No funding would come from candidates, parties or political action committees, he added.

“As for current and past candidates, we’re getting a great response,” he said.

Orange political heavyweigh­ts have been approached to join the commission’s board, including the former county commission­er Eisenberg ran against, Ted Edwards.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Edwards, a Republican. “The problem with politics now is getting voters engaged. … A lot of times, debates are stacked with supporters of candidates and you don’t see an outreach to the community.”

Linda Chapin, a Democrat and former Orange County mayor, said she was excited to see millennial­s “who care about improving access and using their generation’s tools to do it.”

Eisenberg, who also serves as interim executive director of the Tiger Bay Club of Central Florida, stressed the commission isn’t looking to compete with other political organizati­ons.

“Our primary goal is to build a platform,” he said. “There will be plenty of debates that we will partner with [those] organizati­ons.”

The League of Women Voters, which held its first Orlando City Council forums this year, said it welcomes any nonpartisa­n group looking to educate voters.

The question remains as to how much support the county parties will give the new commission.

Wes Hodge, Orange County Democratic chair, had mixed feelings about the idea.

“I’m absolutely all for having debates,” he said. “But I’m not sure, really. It’ll be interestin­g to see, is another debate what we need?”

Lew Oliver, Orange Republican chairman, could not be reached for comment.

Eisenberg and Martinez are looking beyond Orange already. They’ve had discussion­s about creating Seminole and Osceola county chapters, Martinez said, with each future county affiliate responsibl­e for maintainin­g the commission’s standards in their own area.

“We’ve created a framework that any county could re-create,” she said. “Florida is below the national average on civic engagement in every measure. Debates that engage viewers and have clear-cut demonstrat­ions of beliefs and policy are one of the best ways to educate people.”

“It’s not just a money game,” Eisenberg argued, referring to campaign fundraisin­g. “It’s really about a knowledge game.”

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