A Nobel Peace Prize isn’t in the offing, but El Paso County Commissioner Dennis Hisey and Auddie Cox, his challenger for the District 4 post, did shake hands on camera this morning during a “Candidate Conversation” on Gazette TV.
Cox had accused Hisey of “running a gutless smear campaign” against him in an email to me on June 6.
Cox accepted Hisey’s explanation about the robo-call and that Hisey’s campaign wasn’t behind the automated phone calls that praised Hisey and blasted Cox. Hisey said the calls to voters in the district were stopped after about two days, when he learned of them. District 4 encompasses southern Colorado Springs, Fountain and the southern part of the county.
Cox reached across me — the moderator for the 51-minute discussion of issues — to shake Hisey’s hand.
The handshake scene won’t rival the Camp David Accords that resulted in the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty and a shared 1978 Nobel Peace Prize award for Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Kudos to both candidates for squaring off on a live-stream that will live on www.gazette.com. It provided voters with a good look at both men, and some of the differences between them.
The GTV series continues Thursday with Marsha Looper sitting down alone with Gazette reporter John Schroyer. Looper’s opponent, Amy Stephens, declined the invitation to join in the fun.
Friday’s finale of the “Candidate Conversation” series features incumbent Sallie Clark and challenger Karen Magistrelli, who are vying for the District 3 county commissioner seat. They battled during a three-year land use issue that Magistrelli brought before the Board of County Commissioners, and have waged a spirited battle the last several months.
Friday’s 10 a.m. GTV showdown between Clark and Magistrelli should be fun. Be sure to watch!
