8TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONALO CANDIDATES TO BE IN FORUMS

Democratic congressional candidate Tony Heckemeyer says U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson won't debate him.

But Atalie Ebersole, campaign manager for the GOP incumbent, said the candidates will debate the issues at three public forums. Efforts are being made to set up three additional forums, she said.

Libertarian candidate John Hendricks of Jackson also has been invited to the forums.

The three scheduled forums include two in Cape Girardeau and another in Salem.

The American Association of Retired Persons will hold an 8th District forum on Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center.

The League of Women Voters will sponsor a candidates' forum at 9 a.m. on Oct. 14 at Southeast Missouri State University's Dempster Hall.

The Dent County Farm Bureau is sponsoring a forum at Salem on Oct. 15. The time and place haven't been set, Ebersole said Friday.

Heckemeyer said he is willing to attend such forums, but he would prefer to debate Emerson one on one.

He doesn't like the more structured forum settings. "There is no interchange between the two parties," Heckemeyer said.

The candidates answer screened questions. "In my opinion, that is not a debate," said the Sikeston Democrat.

"All you get is memorized spins," he said. The public, he said, doesn't learn anything at such forums.

"When all is said and done, we are going to have a beauty contest."

But Ebersole said Heckemeyer's complaints are wearing thin. "It is just getting really old," she said.

Ebersole said the forums provide an opportunity for the candidates to debate the issues.

She said she talked to two different campaign managers for Heckemeyer in recent months.

Heckemeyer's campaign is now on its third manager.

The second campaign manager, David Adams, returned to South Carolina when a hurricane threatened the family home, Heckemeyer said Friday.

He said his campaign now will be run by Jim Gardner, who grew up in Puxico and ran state Sen. Jerry Howard's previous re-election campaign.