Hillsdale City Mayor Debate Set for September 3rd, 6pm.

The Hillsdale Conservatives will host a Hillsdale City Mayor Debate on Thursday, September 3, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium at Davis Middle School, 30 N. West Street, Hillsdale.

The debate will feature the two candidates for Mayor of the City of Hillsdale:

Matthew Bentley
Bob Flynn

The community is invited to attend, submit questions, hear directly from both candidates, and give each man an opportunity to explain how he would lead the city.

This will not be a campaign-speech forum where candidates simply deliver prepared remarks and go home. The format is designed to put questions from the community directly in front of the candidates and then give each candidate an opportunity to respond not only to the question, but also to the position taken by his opponent.

The Community Asks the Questions

Audience members will be able to write and submit questions for the candidates.

The moderator will select and present the questions from the audience.

Questions will alternate between the candidates so that neither candidate receives a built-in advantage in who answers first.

For each question:

The candidate answering first will have up to three minutes to respond.
The other candidate will then have up to three minutes to answer the same question.
After both candidates have answered, they will have an opportunity to directly address each other’s answers.
Each candidate will receive one rebuttal.

The goal is simple: give the candidates enough time to actually explain their positions, while also allowing voters to hear how those positions hold up when challenged.

A mayoral debate should be more than two sets of talking points delivered beside one another. If the candidates disagree about taxes, spending, infrastructure, public safety, development, city government, special assessments, transparency, or any other issue affecting Hillsdale, the community should be able to hear that disagreement clearly.

And the candidates should be able to defend their answers.

Featured Community Speakers

The evening will also feature three speakers representing organizations active in Hillsdale County and the wider conservative grassroots community.

Steve Oleszkowicz — No Solar Fayette

Steve Oleszkowicz will speak on behalf of No Solar Fayette, a grassroots organization that has been active in the local debate surrounding industrial solar development, property rights, local control, and the future of rural communities.

Steve will also be serving as the moderator. Thank you, it is much appreciated!

Penny Myers — Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County

Penny Myers will represent Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County, a local organization focused on helping members of our own community.

Her participation reflects something that can sometimes disappear in political discussion: local government ultimately exists within a community of actual neighbors, families, volunteers, churches, organizations, businesses, and citizens who are already doing the work of helping one another.

Ella McClain — Club America

Ella McClain will speak on behalf of Club America, powered by Turning Point USA, bringing another grassroots perspective to an evening centered on civic participation and the future of Hillsdale.

A Debate Built Around the Voters

The structure of this debate is intentionally centered on the audience.

The questions will come from the people who live here.

The candidates will answer those questions in front of the community.

And when they disagree, they will have the opportunity to challenge one another directly.

That gives Hillsdale voters something much more useful than another campaign advertisement.

They can compare the candidates side by side.

They can hear where they agree.

They can hear where they differ.

And they can decide for themselves.

Whether you already know who you intend to support, remain undecided, or simply want to know what the next Mayor of Hillsdale intends to do once elected, come prepared with your questions.