If there’s a gauntlet to be thrown, count on Jane Dueker to hurl it down.
The energy-laden opponent of incumbent St. Louis County Executive Sam Page plans to deliver a $10,000 challenge that she hopes will get the good doctor — and not a member of Page’s staff — to publicly debate her on issues facing county residents.
“Originally, I asked him to debate me four times,†Dueker said. “And since then, he’s ducked me on two occasions.â€
Dueker was referring to two separate Democratic committee forums, one in Central County and another in North County, to which Page sent staffers to stand in for Page.
“So now I’m issuing a formal challenge. He can determine when and where, and we don’t need to negotiate rules; I’ll accept any rules,†Dueker said.
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To make this political wrestle royal more interesting — too bad the Khorossan Room at Chase Park Plaza Hotel, the old home to “Wrestling at the Chase,†is in St. Louis city — Dueker proposes that the jaw-jousting be done for charity.
“I pick a charity, he picks a charity, and people who attend can donate whatever they can to whichever one they want,†Dueker said.
Dueker said she has a commitment from an unnamed do-gooder to put an ante into the pot, $5,000 for each candidate’s charity.
Should Page accept the challenge, Dueker said, she would then name her charity and disclose the name of the donor.
Richard Callow, Page’s campaign spokesman, was succinct in his response to the possibility of Page debating Dueker.
“When does hell freeze over?†Callow said.
When asked if Page was ducking Dueker, Callow weaved: “Any Democratic group that wants a good representative of Dr. Page’s office will get one, either Dr. Page or a representative,†he said.
Page and Dueker will face off Aug. 2 in the Democratic primary.Â
Whoever wins the Aug. 2 primary will face the Republican nominee in the Nov. 8 election, either state Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, or Katherine Pinner, who had not registered a campaign account as of Tuesday.