Battenfeld: Boston voters deserve real debates, not fake hugs

Boston voters deserve and should demand debates between mayoral candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi-George in every neighborhood in the city, but so far they are getting only three — thanks to Wu’s play it safe strategy.

Campaign officials say Wu so far has agreed to only three televised debates against her opponent, while Essaibi-George has accepted all of the proposed debates that have come her way.

This after the front-runner took nearly a week off the campaign trail following her preliminary election victory.

Wu apparently believes her 12,000 vote advantage over Essaibi-George is enough to propel her to the mayor’s office in November, and is trying to limit her exposure to potential mistakes.

For what’s supposed to be an historic election. three debates with scripted questions from the media is not enough.

Essaibi-George should be out in public, demanding Wu engage her in no-holds-barred debates in every neighborhood in the city, even if it has to be on Zoom because of COVID.

There should be a whirlwind of engagement between the two candidates every week until Election Day. At least one debate should focus on the growing Mass and Cass crisis. And they should expose themselves to questions from any resident or civic group who wants to ask them.

But after the preliminary, both candidates have come out of the gate with a whimper, hamming it up and hugging each other before the cameras outside city council chambers.

Wu had at least three days with no events — a mini-vacation from the campaign trail and a curious decision from a candidate who is trying to gain momentum from her preliminary win.

Both her and Essaibi-George have been lining up endorsements from elected officials, special interest groups and unions even though they mean nothing — following the playbook of the past.

This election should be about the future.

For the first time, Boston will elect a woman and person of color as mayor, and the winner will face a long list of daunting challenges. There’s an affordable housing crisis, a homeless crisis, an addiction crisis and an education crisis in the city’s schools.

All of those problems deserve a separate debate.

And Wu should not be afraid to take on Essaibi-George in any forum.

Until now, she’s run a smart campaign. It would be a shame if it devolved into a safe, boring campaign with limited opportunities for engagement with the voters.

Getting a lame endorsement from a state rep does not count as a real event.

Both candidates should be mixing it up with real voters.

And no more fake hugs, please.