The Campaign Finance Board has released the application to sponsor CFB debates for the 2009 citywide elections.
The application is now available at the CFB website here. The deadline to submit the application is February 13, 2009. At that time the Board will publish the names of applicants and invite public comment on the qualifications of potential sponsors. An FAQ about the application process will be available at the Debates section of the CFB website.
As part of its voter education efforts, the CFB has administered the Debate Program for citywide candidates since the 1997 elections, providing a forum for participating candidates to appear with their opponents to discuss issues important to the public.
The Debate Program is administered by the CFB, but the debates are sponsored by organizations selected by the Board. Debate sponsors must not be affiliated with any political party, candidate, or public official, and must not endorse any candidates for the pending primary or general election before the debates for that election are held. The sponsors conduct the majority of the work for the debates and bear the bulk of the expenses associated with them.