I recently read an article written by my opponent, John Crane, about the cancellation of a debate that he and I were slated to have on June 30. In his article, Crane intentionally makes false statements about this debate and it is important that the residents of Carefree understand what really happened.
I contacted John about having a debate on May 31, and told him it would be beneficial for the people of Carefree. I told him the debate needed to happen in the month of June, because ballots are mailed the first week of July. John stated that he was out of town for most of the month of June, but would be willing and available to debate after June 29th, so I booked the Desert Foothills Library for June 30th and waited to hear from John’s representative regarding moderator selection and further requests.
John’s representative contacted me on June 23rd and informed me that John did not agree on the date, time, or location of this debate. His representative also stated that John insisted on selecting the question topics for the debate, as well as having the questions supplied to him two weeks in advance.
Receiving debate questions in advance of a debate is a non-starter, and John knows this. John also would not agree to have the debate broadcast on Zoom for the benefit of residents that were unwilling or unable to attend in person, and refused to allow debate attendees to submit questions to be asked through the moderator. I have emails documenting all of this.
A man that has spent over 10 years on the Carefree Town Council should be able to show up to a debate at our town library, debate his opponent, and answer questions from Carefree residents. It was clear that John Crane had no intention of doing any of these things, which is why the debate did not happen.
Respectfully,
Peter Sample
Mayoral candidate
