Seems like one reason a candidate would stay away from a debate is that she gets to grab the headlines without having to do any of the work — like, say, answering questions.
So leave it at this: Kathleen Ford was a no-show at last night's St. Pete mayoral debate organized by LGBT groups at the Metro Wellness Center. An interloper in a chicken suit did show up with a sign claiming Ford was "too chicken" to participate in the debate ("Not my chicken," Mayor Foster hastened to point out), but her official excuse, she told the Tampa Bay Times, was a conflict with an event at the Crossroads Neighborhood Association. (Her Facebook page today thanks supporters for attending the "Mayoral Debate last night at Crossroads Neighborhood with other Mayoral Candidate, Mr. Anthony Cates, III.")
In her absence, Mayor Bill Foster and former State Rep. Rick Kriseman acquitted themselves well. Amazingly enough, there were even a few examples of that rare commodity in political discourse: short, direct answers.
For the most part, that is. Mayor Foster still has a tendency to dither when it comes to the question of St. Pete Pride.
