Hartford, Ct. – According to the News Times, Danbury Mayor and perennial gubernatorial candidate Mark Boughton is refusing to debate his Democratic opponent, decorated combat veteran Al Almeida. While Boughton has found plenty of time to run around the state in yet another bid for governor, he says he simply can’t find the time to participate in debates hosted by the NAACP or the League of Women Voters.

“Voters deserve to hear from their elected leaders, and Mark Boughton is shirking that responsibility by refusing to debate a man who answered the call of duty in serving our nation in the armed forces,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Executive Director Michael Mandell. “I understand that he doesn’t want to defend his support for a Republican budget that would strip education funding from Danbury and give it to some of the wealthiest communities in the state, but voters deserve to know why he believes kids in Greenwich or New Canaan deserve a better education than kids in Danbury.

“It’s clear that Boughton has lost interest in serving the people of Danbury, and is only focused on using his office to advance his personal ambitions.”