WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A candidate forum is scheduled on the same night as a Watertown City Council meeting and one council member doesn’t like it.
Radio station owner Jim Leven of Community Broadcasters is planning the forum for the 10 candidates running in the primary.
It was going to be on Tuesday, June 20, but was pushed to Monday, June 19 due to a scheduling conflict with the event’s location, Hilton Garden Inn in Watertown.
Council Member Pat Hickey is running for reelection and says it’s his duty to attend city council meetings so he won’t be at the forum. Hickey says he believes Leven is attempting to play a role in city politics.
“Since he is being supportive of other candidates, and then to physically exclude me from being able to attend that forum because of my commitments to the city, I think that’s a conflict,” said Hickey.
Leven declined to comment on the record about Hickey’s charge that he is interfering with city politics.
Hickey is running for a four-year term on city council.
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