de Blasio, Zablocki and Deluca to participate in Forum at Pace Downtown Campus October 19

Is the Democrat Bill de Blasio really likely to be the runaway victor, as conventional wisdom has it, in the general election for New York City Public Advocate, the person next in line to be Mayor in an emergency?

Though clearly the front-runner, de Blasio has agreed to participate in a forum with his opponents at Pace University’s downtown Manhattan campus Monday, October 19 in the Student Union. Doors open at 6:30 PM; the forum is from 7PM-8PM.

The University has invited all legally-qualified candidates; de Blasio, Zablocki, the 26-year-old Republican and the Socialist Party candidate Maura Deluca have confirmed their attendance.

The forum will be moderated by Josh Rogers, Associate Editor of the Downtown Express, and Lynn Rickert, Editor of The Pace Press.

The office has become important. The Public Advocate solves problems on behalf of all New Yorkers and every year over 12,000 New Yorkers get help accessing city services from the office. As Ombudsman, or go-between, the Public Advocate answers complaints about people's problems with city government, investigates ineffective agencies and programs, proposes solutions that make government more efficient, and helps communities gain better access to government.

Pace has come to be known as an outstanding site for political forums and cultural activities because of the University’s work to bring its students first-hand encounters with the democratic process and discussion of critical issues that will inform their professional careers.

Presidential

In 2003 the University hosted the first nationally-televised debate by the Democratic candidates for President; since then it has hosted New York City mayoralty debates, New York State gubernatorial debates, and town hall meetings with US Senators about Social Security Reform, not to mention frequent topical presentations by outstanding leaders in business, nursing, education, computing, law and the liberal arts and sciences. Faculty members frequently appear as experts in the national and international media and students regularly win national Model UN competitions and grill national figures in a political science course carried by C-Span.

For 103 years Pace has produced thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. The private university has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. www.pace.edu

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