Colorado State University to Co-Sponsor Gubernatorial Debate with Colorado Biz Magazine, 9news on Oct. 12 in Denver

Republican Bob Beauprez and Democrat Bill Ritter, two candidates vying for Colorado governor, will debate business-related issues on Oct. 12 in Denver at an event co-sponsored by ColoradoBiz Magazine, 9NEWS and Colorado State University.

The "Business of Colorado: Governor’s Race Debate" will be 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free, but registration is required. To register and suggest questions for the candidates, go to http://www.cobizmag.com/9news_debate_registration.asp. Lunch, at a cost of $11, is available for purchase at the event.

9NEWS will broadcast the event live at www.9news.com and make it available on www.cobizmag.com. Attendees also may submit questions in advance of the debate to www.9news.com.

"This is the first-ever debate organized to be streamed in midday for the business audience who will be at work, at their computers so they can watch two candidates for governor debate the critical issues for the state of Colorado," said Patti Dennis, vice president/news director for 9NEWS.

"Colorado State University is proud to co-host this event with our highly respected media partners as a way to spotlight the important issues facing our statewide business community," said Larry Edward Penley, president of Colorado State. "Economic development and quality of life are important issues for all of Colorado, and higher education has a significant role to play in supporting human capital, innovation and entrepreneurship. This is a great opportunity to look toward Colorado’s future and what it will mean for business and industry, as well as those of us who are educating tomorrow’s workforce leaders."

Three panelists will query the candidates on such topics as immigration reform, education funding, water and transportation issues, Referenda C and D and the state’s role in providing business incentives. The panelists are Adam Schrager, 9NEWS political correspondent; Robert Schwab, editor of ColoradoBiz magazine; and John Straayer, political science professor at Colorado State.

Bob Kendrick, 9NEWS anchor, will serve as moderator.

"This is an opportunity for the general public to hear from our next governor and to ask questions pivotal to the health of Colorado’s business community," said Bart Taylor, publisher of ColoradoBiz magazine and a Colorado State alumnus. "Whether you live in Salida, Fort Collins, Fruita or Wray, this is a must-see event."

More about the panelists:

Kendrick co-anchors 9NEWS at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. with Adele Arakawa. He has 26 years of radio and television broadcasting experience, from a small radio station in northern British Columbia to ABC action news (WFTS-TV) in Tampa, Fla. He has won two Edward R. Murrow awards for excellence in feature reporting from the Radio and Television News Directors Association, and he’s a five-time Emmy winner and six-time nominee from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Schrager joined the 9NEWS team in September 1999 as a general assignment reporter. Since arriving in Denver, he has covered the state Capitol and the T-REX Project among other topics. He has a bachelor’s in history from the University of Michigan and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. He began his career in 1991 with CBS News in London.

Schwab has been the editor of ColoradoBiz, the only statewide business magazine, for six years. Before that he was the night city editor and deputy business editor of The Denver Post where he wrote a weekly column and covered minority-owned, women-owned and small businesses. He is co-author of a book to be published in November, "Lynched by Corporate America." He has worked for news agencies in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Austin and Bryan-College Station, Texas.

Straayer has been a political science professor at Colorado State since 1967 and served as chairman of the department from 1972 to 1987. He is the director of the Departmental Legislative Internship Program, which brings university interns to the state Capitol to assist legislators. The state Legislature honored Straayer for 23 years of service running the program in 2003. His many publications include "The Colorado General Assembly" and "State and Local Politics." He has taught courses on legislative politics, state and local politics and American politics. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Arizona.

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