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To date, no debate in East Rockaway

No agreement from party presidents on debate details, location

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After months of stalling, harsh letter writing, name calling and finger pointing, the Freedom Party and Pride Party presidents reached a stalemate, which cost East Rockaway residents a chance to hear their village candidates debate in a public forum.

“Unfortunately the Village Pride Party advised us Sunday evening they would not be taking part in a debate on March 1,” said Freedom Party President Bill Kienke. “This was after waiting since Jan. 11 for a response. Our residents are the losers in this whole process.”

Kienke said that after mailing out a debate request to Pride Party President Ed Zangrillo on Jan. 11, he waited for a response. When asked by the Herald for his reply, Zangrillo said that he never received the request. Kienke resent the invitation, and Zangrillo responded that his party would “take it under advisement.” Kienke suggested the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre as the venue for a debate to be held on March 1 and moderated by the League of Women Voters.

“I believe the impartiality of the League of Women voters is uncertain and cannot be relied upon,” Zangrillo replied.

On Feb. 3, the Herald reported that, before accepting a debate invitation, Zangrillo demanded an apology from Freedom Party mayoral candidate Richard Meagher for what Zangrillo said was a comparison of Pride Party mayoral candidate Fran Lenahan to Hitler in a Freedom Party mailing. The Pride Party not only refused to debate, but called for Meagher to resign as deputy mayor and to take his name off the ballot.

“This is a smoke screen by the VPP to avoid accepting our invitation,” Kienke said in the Feb. 3 Herald story. “I would think, especially now, that they would relish the chance to debate in a public forum …”

On Feb. 23, Zangrillo wrote to Kienke, saying that even though an apology was not offered by Meagher, he realized that the Pride Party candidates “recognize the value of a debate between candidates and platforms that represent two very divergent roads for our village to follow in the future.” But, Zangrillo added, his party categorically rejected the unilateral terms and conditions as to the date, time, venue and format that the Freedom Party was “dictating.”

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