Nahant Republican challenges McGee to series of six debates

LYNN – Republican candidate Christopher Dent of Nahant is challenging state Sen. Thomas McGee, a Lynn Democrat, to a series of six public debates in the weeks before Election Day.In a July 27 letter to McGee, the candidate requested that the debates be held after Aug. 20, when he returns from deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Mozambique, Africa.”In the interest of conducting the most fair and open campaign possible, I would like to propose a series of debates between us to take place in the weeks prior to Election Day. I feel that a public, moderated exchange between us on the issues facing the commonwealth and this district would serve the public interest,” Dent wrote.McGee was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and served four two-year terms. He won a seat in the state Senate in 2002 where he is currently serving a fourth two-year term.”I have been representing the people of this district for 16 years. I look forward to debate. I’ll be doing a lot of work, knocking on doors and meeting with constituents face to face, which is how I have always campaigned,” he said. “I plan to identify someone on my campaign staff to work with his campaign staff about the specifics and logistics of conducting a debate.”Dent, 29, has proposed six consecutive debates, one per week, because the 3rd Essex and Middlesex district includes whole or portions of six communities. “Each debate, held in a different community, would be sponsored and moderated by members of the local media, civic organizations and academia,” Dent said.The candidate and lifelong Nahanter explained that his deployment to Africa to train the Mozambique army is in support of Exercise Shared Accord 2010. A civilian aerospace engineer and military intelligence analyst who served in the Iraq war, Dent has been scheduled for discharge from the Marines in November following a six-year enlistment.McGee, an attorney, is a lifelong Lynn resident who lives with his wife, Maria, and their children, Thomas and Katherine.”I look forward to a full positive campaign this fall, talking about issues of importance to the people of this district,” he said. “We’ll be talking about important economic development legislation passed during this past session, as well as small business insurance relief and foreclosure protection, not only for those renting but for the mortgage holders who will be given more time to cure their debts.”The Senate district includes all or part of Lynn, Marblehead, Nahant and Saugus in Essex County and two wards in Melrose in Middlesex County.”We had a successful legislative session in very tough times, but our bond rating is among the best in the country and we just passed important pieces of legislation to create jobs, drive the economy and provide relief,” said McGee, who last faced a challenge in the 2002 Democratic special election from former Lynn City Councilor Salvy Migliaccio and local businessman Al Bleau.