St. Joe's students host assembly debate

Students at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in the Town of Tonawanda got a real-life civics lesson Tuesday, hosting a debate between the two candidates for the 142nd Assembly District.

Incumbent Democrat Patrick Burke is fighting to keep his Albany seat against Republican Gary Dickson, the West Seneca town supervisor.

7 News Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley was inside the school where students asked the candidates about issues that hit close to home including school shootings and gun control.

"You'll have someone dance around the issues instead of 'you need a good guy with a gun.' Guess what? In the Tops shooting there was a good guy with a gun. He's dead. Because the other guy had a more powerful gun and he had body armor," Burke said.

Dickson pointed to the same tragedy in his response.

"Take the Tops shooting for example, the shooter was investigated by the state police a year or something before and made no determination and then he was allowed to buy firearms afterwards," Dickson said.

Students questioned Burke about his recent comments regarding the "voluntary intoxication exclusion" law, where he referred to it as the "ruining drunk sex bill."

"I shouldn't have said it like that, especially to a group of people who are sensitive on the issue. I didn't mean ill-intent but I think accountability is really important," Burke said.

WATCH: St. Joe's students host assembly debate

Students also asked Burke about past sexual harassment accusations from former staffers that he denies, and he accused Dickson of covering up rape charges against the West Seneca police chief, who was accused in a civil suit.

"There was a police investigation and he was cleared, and the report is public, that can be read by anyone," Dickson said.

Burke accused Dickson of running a smear campaign. After the debate, I asked both candidates about the issue.

"There is nothing I have published that's not documented. You can go look on the Real Pat Burke website. There's a copy of the complaint for the Division of Human Rights. His comment about the 'ruining drunk sex bill' is public, it was on The View," Dickson said.

"Mischaracterizing someone's words and using them against them, like not foreign to politics, I think I explained it pretty well," Burke said.

The candidates also debated immigration.

"The Democrats had a veto-proof majority in Obama's first two years, filibuster-proof majorities, but they didn't do anything. I think both parties need to get together and work together to come up with something that will regulate how people can become citizens," Dickson said.

"Both parties did come together. We had a bipartisan immigration bill, and Trump demanded the Republicans that wrote that bill they kill it before the election piece. He wanted immigration to be a controversy so he could get reelected," Burke said.

The candidates also debated about pay for lawmakers, term limits, and state spending.

St. Joseph's senior Lennox Yazbeck was one of the students who questioned the candidates, and told reporters why the school shooting question was key.

"It's a terrible fact that we can be shot in schools. I find it awful, and I think we should do something about it," Yazbeck said.

Yazbeck said the debate felt evenly matched.

"I don't feel like there was a winner. I feel like each candidate was evenly matched. I feel like they answered their questions correctly, they answered them right," Yazbeck said.

The St. Joe's debate marks the 42nd year the all-boys, private high school has hosted a political debate for races of local interest.

Now, the race heads into its final days. Voters in the 142nd District will make their choice on Election Day.

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