Another scheduled Welland mayoral debate scrapped
Campion fefuses to share stage with Clow
Another debate between Welland’s three mayoral candidates has been cancelled.
Scheduled for Oct. 10 by radio station Newstalk 610 CKTB, it was announced early this week that the show will not go on and that a five-minute interview on the weekend edition of an upcoming Niagara in the Morning show will take place instead.
Last week, cable access channel YourTV decided to pull the plug on its debate due to tensions between incumbent Mayor Frank Camion and one of his challengers, David Clow.
Campion had also said he wouldn’t be participating in the Sept. 20 debate because of scheduled meetings with provincial government representatives at Queen’s Park.
Bonnie Heslop, news director for CKTB, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday about the cancellation but did send candidates an email confirming the event has been axed.
Asked if the animosity between himself and Clow is behind the radio station’s on-air discussion being scrapped, Campion said “it could be that” when interviewed by The Tribune on Tuesday.
He stands by his position that he will not engage Clow in a public forum, claiming his fellow contender has been disrespectful to him in the past.
“I’ve made it very clear already in the press that I have no intention of debating him,” said Campion.
Less than a month away from the election, Campion said he hasn’t received criticism from local residents who feel he should look past his relationship with Clow and still participate in a political discussion for voters
to consume.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people saying ‘Good idea, why would you?’”
Campion, Clow and the third candidate, Steven Soos, were all in attendance at a meet and greet event hosted by Welland-Pelham Chamber of Commerce Monday night.
Campion said things were “seemingly” cordial at the event, but he will continue to refuse going head to head with Clow.
“I’m not going to lower myself to the standard I would have to lower myself to in order to effectively debate him,” he said.
On Tuesday, Clow said he sat directly next to Campion for a “good part of the night” at Monday’s gathering.
Clow said that “proves that Mayor Campion is not unwilling to be around me but is unwilling to be around me in a venue where I can ask him questions in a public forum.”
Soos said “the people of Welland deserve better than this.”