Wright State University, located in Fairborn, OH just northeast of Dayton, decided today it would no longer host the first Presidential Debate, which had been scheduled for September 26.
The news came as a surprise to the Dayton region, who had been excitedly awaiting the debate and the economic impact that it would bring. Wright State’s Nutter Center was scheduled to be the host site and the University had been working overtime to create the necessary Internet security needed in order to host. The Nutter center is located a mere 2.9 miles from the Hope Hotel, where the Dayton Peace Accords were signed in 1995.
Ohio is of course one of the key swing states in this election, as it is in just about every election; a lot of people were proud and excited that the first debate was to be held here, and rumors were that Wright State was possibly in line to host a debate in the 2020 election as well (once all the infrastructure was in place, it would make it a lot easier for the University to host a subsequent debate.
Alas, the cost was found to just be too high. According to the Dayton Daily News, the cost was originally estimated at $3-5 million, but due to escalating security concerns, the cost was expected to rise to north of $8 million.
www.mydaytondailynews.com/…
Supposedly, the University had privately been very concerned about the costs, and the recent terrorist attack in Nice was sort of the straw on the camel’s back that made the final decision.
Per the board of trustees, canceling on hosting was “the responsible thing to do.” Local law enforcement felt that finding the manpower would not be an issue, but in the end, finding the dollars turned out to be too difficult.
Hofstra, who had hosted debates in the last couple elections, is now going to host the first debate.
It is a loss for the Dayton region, and the state, and IMHO not a good look for Wright State, who bid to host the debate well over a year ago, and is now backing out with about two months to go.
It is also a pretty sad state of affairs that the cost of security makes it too difficult for a modest-sized Midwestern university to be able to afford to host such a prestigious event.