Mackenzie Says Why He Missed Debate
State House candidate Ryan Mackenzie says he opted for Berks County event after learning that his opponent in the Special Election would not be at debate in Emmaus.
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Republican Ryan Mackenzie says he opted to attend a meet-and-greet in Berks County on Tuesday rather than a debate for candidates in the 134th state House race after learning that his Democratic opponent would probably not be there.
Mackenzie, of South Whitehall, and Democrat Patrick Slattery, of Lower Macungie, are vying for the House seat in a Special Election to fill former Rep. Doug Reichley's unexpired term.
Tuesday's debate was sponsored by the Concerned East Penn Taxpayers Association (CEPTA). Only Republican Arlene Dabrow, who faces Mackenzie in the Republican primary for the same seat, was at the event.
"I was invited to attend the candidate meet and greet at the Bally Hotel which was on the same night as the CEPTA debate," Mackenzie wrote in an e-mail.
While he was looking forward to debating Slattery on the issues in the race, he said, sources then told him that Slattery would not be at the debate.
"I called CEPTA to confirm this and they seemed unsure as to whether or not he would be there.... I had to make a decision about which event I would be attending, and given the uncertainty of Mr. Slattery’s attendance, I chose to attend the event in Berks," Mackenzie wrote.
Slattery had announced late Tuesday afternoon in a prepared statement that he would not be participating in the debate as a result of a lawsuit filed in Lehigh County Court.
In Bally, Mackenzie attended a voter meet-and-greet hosted by Berks County Sheriff Eric Weaknecht, who is supporting MacKenzie in the race, the candidate said in a prepared release.
Both the Special Election and the Primary are Tuesday, April 24.
Slattery is unopposed in the Democratic Primary.
Reichley is now a Lehigh County judge.
Ron Beitler
5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
But it WOULD have been a debate? He is running in the Republican Primary against Arlene Dabrow? She showed up. There are two elections happening, not just one.
1. The Special - (to fill the remainder of Reichleys term) Slattery vs. Mackenzie
2. The Primary - (who runs for the regularly scheduled election) Mackenzie vs. Dabrow. This determines which Republican runs. Slattery is unopposed on the (D) side.
Despite Mackenzie getting the establishments blessing to run in the special, it is still up to the community to determine which Republican runs in the general. CEPTA is a very conservative grassroots group. It's been in the community for a long long time. Doug Reichley understood the role it plays and spoke in front of the group many many times throughout his decade in office. Apparently, Arlene Dabrow understands that as well since she showed up. Mackenzie has spent the last 6 years in DC and Harrisburg from what I understand. Maybe he was unaware of the relevance of CEPTA. Wouldn't surprise me.
truth seeker
2:16 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
One can understand that Slattery chose not to attend due to the bizarre decision by Donches to drop a law suit on him the night before. However, Mackenzie had no reasin to back out. Arlene Dabrow was there and that is his competiton in the primary. I think that was rude to her and disrespectful to those in attendance. Not to mention it is the second time he backed out of a meet the candidates night. Then again, why attend the first, when his pals at the state made sure he got the nomination.
taxed-enough
4:19 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
As a resident of the 134th district, I find MacKenzie's dodging of this debate to be an insult. Emmaus has a much bigger population than Bally has. MacKenzie has done everything in his power to avoid answering questions from the public in a public forum. He said that he would be at the debate, and he should not have stood up the debate hosts. His conduct is unprofessional, and a complete waste of the time of everyone who attended both debates that he has avoided this year. He has a very long list of excuses of why he can never attend any debate. He is wasting our time in the 134th district. It makes complete sense that Slattery could not attend. However, MacKenzie had an opponent there, and should have been respectful and debated her. if he is passionate about having a message, and making his message known, he should be there at a public forum to get his message out. Otherwise, he is is just another career politician who is looking forward to their career paycheck and pension.
sqwat tingdog
9:09 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Not much to explain really. He doesn't give a rat's ass what the Cepta crowd thinks of him. He's got no respect. He's a Parkland guy who's never lived in the Lehigh Valley as an adult. He doesn't care about anything here except as a vehicle to a career in politics.