9th debates uncertain

A disagreement over how a former congressman handled constituent files when leaving office two years ago has 9th District debates on hold.

All three candidates - incumbent Democrat Baron Hill, Republican Mike Sodrel and Libertarian Eric Schansberg - say they're ready and willing to debate and several groups have proposed debates.

But as of Friday afternoon, no debates had been scheduled yet.

Katie Moreau of Hill's campaign staff said the incumbent wants a clear explanation from Sodrel on how constituent requests were handled following his loss in the 2006 election.

Ryan Reger of Sodrel's campaign said that complaint has no merit.

So far, only Schansberg has formally accepted an invitation to debate, agreeing Wednesday to a debate proposed by Vincennes University at Jasper. That venue was one of three in which he, Hill and Sodrel participated in 2006.

The others were in Bloomington and New Albany.

Reger said Sodrel will accept the Jasper invitation but hadn't yet.

"We're still reviewing the proposed format and ground rules for the Jasper debate," he said Friday.

Reger said he would like to see more debates.

Schansberg agreed.

"It should be a no-brainer to have the debates we had in 2006," he said. "As the incumbent, Baron Hill has the most control in arranging the debates. Given Baron's repeated demands for debates throughout 2006, I would expect him to be aggressive in setting up debates this time as well. Unfortunately, so far, that has not been the case."

Moreau said Hill wants to debate but first wants an explanation from Sodrel about  complaints that his office failed to forward constituent case files when leaving office following his 2006 election loss.

"It caused a lot of work for the people from the 9th District who were asking for help," Moreau said.

She said Sodrel's "first response was an outright lie - that we didn't transfer paperwork in 2004 (when Sodrel defeated Hill). We had letters sent to people asking their permission to send their cases on to the next legislator. The people we heard back from, we handed over the casework file."

Reger was dismissive of Moreau's question.

"They tried to bring that up earlier," he said. "That question's been asked and answered. They're just changing the subject with something they think happened two years ago."

Questioned Wednesday about how constituent cases were handled, Reger referred to a Congressional Research Service Report outlining procedures and said they were followed.

"I spoke with the people who worked in Mike's congressional office at the end of 2006, and they told me that they received information from an office within the U.S. House that explained the proper closing procedure and that they followed it," he said.

He said a letter was sent from Sodrel's office to constituents with open files telling them of the status of their case and what they needed to do to continue them.

But Kenneth Self of Seymour said Friday he never received such a letter.

Self, 56, said he had sought Sodrel's help with a request for Social Security disability. He was facing cancer treatment and problems with his knees and legs, he said.

"When I was working with Sodrel's people, they lost my paperwork," Self said. "I had to fill it out again after I called when I never heard from Social Security, and I never heard from Sodrel's staff when they left office."

When Hill took office in January 2007, Self contacted the congressman's staff to ask about his disability request.

"They didn't have anything, so I had to fill out the paperwork again, but I heard real soon from Social Security after filing it with Hill's office," Self said.

Disability benefits were eventually approved for Self, who retired from Cummins Inc. after 34 years. He was a machine repairman. Self's cancer is in remission now, but he still has leg and knee problems that affect his ability to work, he said.

Questioned about Self's case, Reger said Friday letters sent to constituents were by first-class mail.

"Mike Sodrel is confident that his staff handled this gentleman's case to the best of their ability and is pleased that Congressman Hill's office was able to break through the logjam and get a favorable outcome," he added.

Schansberg expressed dismay with the seemingly endless debate every election cycle over whether candidates will debate and the discussions about their formats.

"If I'm elected, I promise that I will always provide at least three debates for the voters of the 9th District," he said. "And I won't make things difficult for those who work so hard to arrange the debates."

Questioned whether she expects Hill to participate in debates regardless of Sodrel's response about how constituent questions were handled as his office was closed, Moreau said she would expect Hill to join the debates.

Others that have contacted candidates about debates include Madison Chamber of Commerce, Providence High School in Clark County and a Louisville television station, the candidates have said.

* EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was corrected Sept. 9. Kenneth Self's first name was incorrect in the original posting.