The Register Citizen and The Litchfield County Times are teaming up to sponsor a debate to be held Oct. 26, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Ann Antolini School in New Hartford.
Register Citizen Publisher Matt DeRienzo has invited the candidates, incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson (D-East Hartford), Republican challenger Ann Brickley and Green Party candidate Ken Krayeske.
"We have felt for some time that an event like this was necessary to bring more attention to the race and the candidates in the Litchfield County portion of the 1st District, for voters who live in Torrington, Winsted, Barkhamsted and New Hartford," DeRienzo wrote in extending the invitation to debate.
The debate will be hosted by Scott Benjamin, the political reporter for The Litchfield County Times, who has an excellent reputation for objectivity, and has experience as a debate moderator, including moderation of a Republican primary debate earlier this year in the Fifth Congressional District.
As part of the papers community outreach, questions are being submitted from readers of The Register Citizen and The Litchfield County Times ahead of time.
In the debate, each candidate will get 3-minute opening and closing statements, and will have 2 minutes each to respond to questions, in a rotating order. Each candidate will then have 90 seconds to rebut or expand on their remarks after everyone has responded.
The Ann Antolini School gymnasium seats about 300 people, and the Register will also be livestreaming video from the debate on the Web sites of The Register Citizen, The Litchfield County Times, West Hartford News and Middletown Press.