No VP debate and no regrets, WSU officials say

When Washington State University passed on a chance to host the 2008 vice presidential debate in Spokane, the forum was mostly a concept.

Neither party had picked its presidential candidate last November – in fact, both front-runners at the time are out of the race now – so the participants in the vice presidential debate were anybody’s guess. In the case of Republican nominee Sarah Palin, that might be better described as nobody’s guess.

But in recent weeks, the nominations were set with Sen. Joe Biden, of Delaware, drawing praise for the Democrats and Alaska Gov. Palin, a Sandpoint native and University of Idaho graduate, igniting the GOP.

Some residents are disappointed the candidates will be in St. Louis rather than Spokane on Oct. 2 for the second of four forums sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Spokane County Republican Chairman Curt Fackler said the excitement generated by the debate could have carried over into local elections, and the candidates could have made appearances at fundraising events for the local party. Some federal issues that are important locally, such as timber, water and hydroelectric dams, also might have received a mention at a debate set in the Northwest, he said.

“I was really disappointed when they turned it down,” Fackler said.

But officials at WSU said this week they made the right call in turning down the debate after it was offered first to them. “We’re very confident with the decision that was made,” Chancellor Mike Tate said.

Harry Sladich, of the Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau, agreed, although he admitted he had some regrets after watching Palin speak at the Republican National Convention and thinking about her squaring off against Biden.

Hosting the debate could have cost more than $3 million, Sladich said. There’s a $1.35 million payment to the commission, plus the cost of accommodations and transportation for the commission and staff members who put the internationally televised debate together. The debate’s location might have had to be modified to provide security for the candidates and telecommunications equipment for as many as 1,500 journalists.

“The question is, what do we get for it?” Sladich said. The economic impact wouldn’t have been comparable to figure skating championships or NCAA basketball tournaments, which stretch over several days, he said.

Rob Wild, assistant to the chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, where the vice presidential debate will be held, said that school had no doubt the event would be worth the cost, even before the candidates were named. The university hosted presidential debates in 1992, 2000 and 2004 and jumped at the chance to hold the vice presidential forum after WSU turned it down.

It raises the excitement level on campus, allows the university to plan special classes around the debate and the presidential campaign, and puts national and international journalists on campus.

“Now we feel really lucky,” Wild said. “Gov. Palin has piqued the public’s interest.”

Washington University has three corporate sponsors for its debate, he said: AT&T, Wachovia Securities and Emerson Electric. But the university won’t disclose the cost of the debates it holds other than the $1.35 million paid to the commission. Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, site of the 2004 vice presidential debate, said that event cost about $4.3 million – a combination of fees, accommodations for commissioners and staff and about $2 million in physical changes to the venue. But a study by Case Western after the debate estimated the economic impact to the community was $20 million – and said the value of the university’s media exposure was “priceless.”

Sladich said the biggest problem for WSU was landing sponsors. It was having trouble getting commitments for a presidential debate, and when the commission offered the vice presidential debate instead there were concerns the money wouldn’t be there. It was better to say no right away than to agree to host the debate and not be able to raise the money, he said.

When business leaders say they are disappointed WSU turned down the debate, Sladich said, his standard reply is “I didn’t see your check.”