{news} 36th State Senate debate reported in Stamford Advocate

[David Bedell]

In Wednesday's debate in Greenwich, besides education funding as reported 
below, I was able to bring up Indian Point nuclear plant, the Drug War and 
prisons vs. schools, suburban sprawl, clean energy, and diesel emissions (an 
area where the incumbent is weak).

In Thursday's debate in New Canaan, I had a chance to elaborate more on 
Indian Point (and Millstone), address universal healthcare, and touch on 
clean energy, diesel emissions, campaign finance, and the Drug War.

The debates will be cablecast on the government cable channel 79 in each 
town starting next Wednesday and repeating through Election Day.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-debate6oct26,0,5080847.story
(Another version of this was in sister paper the Greenwich Time):

Incumbent faces off against two challengers

By Neil Vigdor
October 26, 2006

GREENWICH -- State Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, faced off against 
Democrat Frank Farricker and Green Party candidate David Bedell in a 
two-hour League of Women Voters of Greenwich debate at Town Hall.

They are running to represent the 36th District seat in the state Senate, 
which includes Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan.

Farricker, 43, characterized Nickerson as being reactive instead of 
proactive on issues such as transportation, saying Connecticut lawmakers 
were slower than their New York counterparts in passing legislation to 
replace the state's aging fleet of Metro-North Railroad cars.

"People thought ahead in New York. It was obvious 20 years ago," said 
Farricker, a Planning and Zoning Commission member who works in real estate 
management.

Nickerson, 67, who is a member of the legislature's Transportation 
Committee, took credit for helping to craft the $1 billion bill that will 
fund new railroad cars, an accomplishment that he said earned him the 
endorsement of the Business Council of Fairfield County. He also cited the 
creation of state Transportation Strategy Board under his leadership.

"So we are on our way to an entirely new and reoriented transportation world 
in Connecticut," said Nickerson, who has represented Greenwich and parts of 
Stamford and New Canaan for 16 years.

Bedell, 44, used the debate to promote his party's agenda in support of a 
so-called millionaire's tax and educational cost sharing.

The state should move away from a system where it relies on municipal 
property taxes to fund education, he said.

"It creates great inequality from district to district," said Bedell, who 
works for a public health nonprofit organization.

Each candidate received two minutes for a parting shot, in which Nickerson 
underscored his experience.

"My opponent has delivered largely talk," said Nickerson, who manages a real 
estate investment business.

Farricker touted himself a progressive alternative in changing times.

"If we're careful, things are going to change for the negative," he said.

Bedell, who got the final word in the debate, said the election was about 
choice.

"Most of the time, he's gone unchallenged," he said of Nickerson. "That 
sounds like elections in the Soviet Union."

Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

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