My thought is that the purpose of a board is stewardship of the donor's property and oversight of staff, as well as providing general direction to staff by setting goals and establishing means of accountability. In November, we will have the annual budget meeting. I do not believe it is the purpose of the board to host candidate debates, particularly if doing so will take time away from doing the things that are actually our job.
Holding a debate at a board meeting also creates the appearance that the candidates are appearing for the board and attempting to influence the board or gain an endorsement. I do not like the image that would convey.
I would add that I want this party to focus on electing candidates to office, which means, at the moment, encouraging a focus on winnable races. I'd like the board to set that tone, not a tone of excessive focus on Presidential politics.
In short, I believe that such a debate would be neither real politics, nor the function of a board. Let's focus on those things, and expand beyond them once we have them well in hand.
Joshua Katz