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Show Hansen refusing Brunsdale debate? Members of The Davis County League of Women Voters are frustrated over die fact that Congressman Con-gressman Jim Hansen has not responded to numerous requests from the group to have the congressman con-gressman debate campaign issues with Democratic challenger Kenley Brunsdale. According to Margatet Mayer, co-chairman of voter service for the Davis County League of Women Voters, she began trying to reach Hansen in early August. "1 wanted to schedule a debate for Oct 23. It - -took two full weeks before I was able to get his aide, Peter Jenks, to return my three phone calls. " Mayer said she told Jenks the proposed debate would be sponsored spon-sored by a coalition consisting of Common Cause, the Davis Education Edu-cation Association and the league. She was told the congressman would not be able to attend on the suggested date. "I offered any other date during September or October and was told Hansen would not be available at any time prior to the elections in November," said Mayer. Mayer said she told Jenks that Hansen was not giving the public an adequate opportunity to meet him. She continued her campaign get the congressman to debate by sending a letter to his Washington, D.C. office of-fice inviting him to participate in a debate at any time during September or October. "I specifically asked for an immediate im-mediate response so we would have time to publicize the event," said Mayer. She said after two more weeks with no response, she wrote again on Sept. 17, sending copies of the letters to Hansen's Ogden, and Washington, D.C. offices. Mayer said she explained to the congressman that the job of the League of Women Voters is to provide pro-vide information for the voters so they can make educated decisions at the polls. "I told him I thought his job was to meet the voters and answer an-swer their questions for part of his service to them as an elected official." offi-cial." Mayer said she still has had no response to the Sept 17 letter. "The sad thing is, he knows he will be re-See re-See Debate A-2 Debate Cont. from A-1 elected without meeting any voters at all. I can't decide whether I am more upset with our congressman or with the apathetic voters," said Mayer. She added that both the Weber County and Cache County Leagues of Women Voters have reported that they too have requested that the congressman meet with their members and have been unable to get a response. "The problem is that if Hansen will not debate B runs dale, the public pub-lic will not get a chance to meet B runs dale either. That is unfair to the Democratic candidate too," said Mayer. |