It's been a hectic few weeks in the newsroom, with some vacant positions and the height of vacation season upon us, so it wasn't until Tuesday that I began trying to set up a debate for the citywide candidates who will be facing off in a Democratic primary on Sept. 18.

It was really far too late to try to plan such an event, but we felt it was important to offer such a forum to the voters in the community.

Thankfully, we were able to work out an arrangement with the Holiday Inn to secure a space for a debate the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 11.

I'm especially grateful to the candidates who agreed to participate after being contacted at such a late stage. They, too, saw the value in an event that allows voters to see the candidates at the same venue talking about issues.

Hopefully, we'll see a large turnout at the Holiday Inn on Tuesday night. We'll get started a little after 6 p.m. with the candidates who are seeking the Democratic nod for Auburn City Council. The Democratic mayoral candidates will follow about an hour later.

(For those who might not be aware of the campaign landscape this year, it's important to note that there is no citywide Republican primary for council or mayor - otherwise, we would have attempted to organize a forum for those races, too.)

Perhaps the most important feature about this debate is that the public is encouraged to attend. We're going to invite people in the audience to submit questions they'd like the candidates to address. For this to work well, a good turnout is important.

In the end, the goal for everyone involved is to have a program that will help voters.

I've long felt that debates are one of the most effective tools for helping voters make informed choices. They require the candidates themselves, not campaign managers or press release/speech writers, to speak about how they would the handle the job they seek.

Debates also allow the voters to see the contrasts among candidates. These include differences in the answers they give, of course, but also in their potential leadership style and the way the present and prepare themselves.

Unfortunately, these benefits of debates are diminishing on a national level to a large degree. The presidential primary debates I've caught on television so far have often been extremely uninformative, largely because the candidates are clearly giving rehearsed answers, and many of the answers themselves are worded in a way that manages to say nothing of substance.

I'm glad that I've not seen that on a local level. By and large, in any of the forums I've attended for local races, you get real people offering their heartfelt observations.

Let's hope that continues this year when we get things started Tuesday night.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns run Saturdays in

The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231

or jeremy.boyer@lee.net