Tuesday, July 29, 2008
News CEO debate: Watson a no-show
Posted by Scott Henry @ScottTheHenry on Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Damn, Stan!
Viewers tuning into the Atlanta Press Club debate for DeKalb CEO on GPB this coming Sunday will see a rather one-sided affair. The debate was taped earlier today, but State Rep. Stan Watson wasn't there, apparently having called to cancel last night. That left only Commissioner Burrell Ellis, an empty podium and three print journalists – myself included – trying to make things look as interesting as possible in the absence of any real debating.
Watson missed more than his share of the numerous CEO debates before the July 15 primary, but then he was in good shape to make the runoff over several less well-funded opponents. Now, however, he's the apparent long shot against Ellis, who took a solid 46 of the primary vote.
I would've thought the one debate you wouldn't want to miss is the one that's going to be shown on TV when you're playing for all the marbles. On the other hand, it's scheduled to air at 9:30 a.m., so skipping it to squeeze in an extra fund-raiser – the given reason for Watson's absence – is a calculated gamble.
But when I called Watson a couple of hours later, he seemed to indicate (I say "seemed," because he only stayed on the line a few seconds) that he'd missed it because of his longtime job working for a private health care company.
"I still have to earn a living," he said.
Anyway, the "debate" went smoothly, untroubled by disagreement, name-calling or anything else that could possibly be considered interesting. It was so dull, in fact, that I remember only a handful of details, but among them was Ellis' response to my final question about whether, as CEO, he hoped to limit bar hours in DeKalb.
You may recall that Ellis had backed a proposal by Commissioner Jeff Rader to roll back last call a full two hours, from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. Backed by the county's three white commissioners, Rader's plan passed 4-3, but was vetoed by Vernon Jones. Rader has since been working to gather support for an alternative measure to restrict where new bars and nightclubs can be located.
Today, Ellis didn't hedge on his continued support for earlier closing times. When Atlanta rolled back its bar hours a few years ago, he said, club owners scurried to DeKalb to set up shop, with some of the resulting clubs offering a thinly veiled, unlicensed form of adult entertainment. Ellis didn't explain how being forced to close earlier would make these rogue clubs behave.
"We need to have a level playing field," he said.
At any rate, Watson wasn't there to offer a rebuttal, so we don't know where he stands on the issue.
For insomnia sufferers who can't wait until Sunday, you can watch the debate on GPB's website. It hasn't been posted yet, but when it is, this is where it'll be.
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