PATAKI JOINS CROWDED FIELD IN FIRST DEBATE

Gov. George E. Pataki stood behind his record over two terms yesterday
during a debate with six other candidates for governor that offered a range
of solutions to New York State's ills - from cutting taxes to regulating
marijuana - but little opportunity to scrutinize them.

Mr. Pataki, in his first-ever debate as a candidate for governor, did not
specify what he planned for a third term beyond saying, "We are not going
to raise taxes next year" to close a budget deficit that may swell to up to
$7 billion.

The governor, a Republican, had insisted that the minor-party candidates be
allowed to participate; he ended up sitting between the Right to Life and
Marijuana Reform candidates. During the 90-minute forum, candidates were
generally permitted to make one-minute responses. That meant each candidate
had only 8 to 10 minutes of talking time, including Mr. Pataki's Democratic
chief opponent, H. Carl McCall, who was limited to 10 minutes to rebut the
governor's record and set out his own agenda.

It also meant that with each candidate promoting his own sometimes quirky
agenda, talk veered at times from substance to silliness.

They discussed whether to cut taxes or raise them, what to do with the
World Trade Center site, and whether a nuclear plant near New York City
should be closed.

But the forum also afforded obscure candidates like Thomas K. Leighton, of
the Marijuana Reform Party, an opportunity to urge the state to regulate
the marijuana market, and allowed Gerard J. Cronin, the Right to Life
candidate and a teacher, to turn to the camera and greet his students not
once but twice.

Scott Jeffrey, the Libertarian candidate, even had a moment of confession
when he responded to a comment by Mr. Leighton that marijuana users would
not mind being taxed by the state if the drug were legalized. "Well, I am a
pot smoker who does not want to pay more taxes," Mr. Jeffrey said, drawing
a giggle or two from some of the candidates.

Mr. Jeffrey had another, more serious moment of candor as he answered why
he and the other third-party candidates were in the race, beyond sending a
message. He admitted to viewers, "I'm not expecting to be elected," but
urged people to vote for him anyway so his party could get the 50,000 votes
needed under state law to keep its line on state ballots for the next four
years.

The session, sponsored by WABC-TV and The Daily News and held at the
Midtown studio used by the morning show "Live With Regis and Kelly," was
the first time since 1990 that a sitting governor participated in such a
forum with a major party rival.

Mr. Pataki has refused to debate unless all the candidates were invited, a
turnabout from 1994 when he refused to debate Gov. Mario M. Cuomo because
Mr. Cuomo insisted the third-party candidates be there as well.

Mr. Pataki now says he will not debate Mr. McCall, the state comptroller,
one on one.

All the candidates, who were debating for the first time, are set to meet
again on Sunday in Syracuse.

Critics suggest Mr. Pataki insisted on this format to allow only the
briefest of opportunities for partisan attacks, and to minimize attention
on his main rivals, Mr. McCall and Tom Golisano, the self-financed
billionaire and Independence candidate.

The only candidate not present was Andrew M. Cuomo, who had won the Liberal
Party nomination but quit his bid for the Democratic nomination a week
before the Sept. 10 primary. Mr. Cuomo remains on the ballot on the Liberal
line but has said he will not campaign.

Although viewers did not hear Mr. Pataki articulate his plans for a third
term, the governor used the word "proud" 12 times when describing what he
thought of his record on issues like crime, education and transportation.

He did offer views not often stated publicly. He answered yes when asked
whether the state should ban smoking in public spaces and said that he
would consider advocating the shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear plant 35
miles north of New York City if the evidence of its danger to public safety
was credible. He promised to fight for term limits if elected for a third time.

Mr. Pataki agreed that reforms were needed to address the ways state
government does business, in which it is often said that "three men in a
room" - the governor, the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, and
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver - make key decisions on a budget that is
chronically late.

Mr. Pataki said he would support mandating conference committees to
reconcile differing versions of the budget passed by the Senate and Assembly.

Mr. Golisano said Mr. Bruno had shown him "the room" on a visit to Albany.
"It's about 10 by 12," Mr. Golisano said. "It's got a table in it with four
chairs and two windows. I said, `This is the way we run our state
government?' "

Mr. McCall, in turn, promised: "I'm going to seal that room so it'll never
be used again. We've got to open up the process. It's dysfunctional. In
fact, we've run out of adjectives to describe how bad it is."

All the candidates but one, Stanley Aronowitz of the Green Party, said they
would either cut taxes or avoid raising them. Mr. Aronowitz suggested
wealthy people should be taxed more.

"My plan would say tax those who are most able to pay and tax fairly and
spend wisely so we meet the needs of our people," he said. "Unless we have
new taxes, there's absolutely no way we're going to close the budget gap."

To ease the tax burden, Mr. Leighton suggested the state allow farmers to
grow hemp for industrial purposes. "This would not only save the family
farm and preserve valuable farmland for the future, but it will also
provide raw materials to revitalize manufacturing industries in clothing,
textiles, paper products," he said. "And these new industries would affect
the economies very directly. It would also help the garment workers down in
New York City."

Mr. Aronowitz was also one of two candidates - the other being Mr. Leighton
- - who supported reinstating a commuter tax that until its repeal in 1999
imposed an assessment on people who worked in New York City but lived in
the suburbs.

All the candidates said they would prefer not to raise subway and bus fares
but none would rule it out.

Mr. Pataki said he would work to increase revenue by attracting more riders
and supporting the proposed merger of Metro-North and the Long Island Rail
Road.

Regarding the trade center site, most of the candidates said a combination
of a memorial with new commercial or residential space would be appropriate.

But Mr. Leighton said he believed the whole site "should be a totally open
green space with a suitable memorial in the center," while Mr. Jeffrey
said, "What would I know about that?"

Mr. Pataki noted that Mr. McCall had originally insisted all the candidates
be present and went on to say, "I think allowing this free discussion,
allowing this open involvement by everyone who the voters have the option
to vote for on Nov. 5 is the appropriate course to take."

Mr. McCall said that a debate with all the candidates should be
supplemented with one "where we have the candidates who have the most
likely opportunity to get elected."

He added, "And I think that kind of debate would be a little more
instructive and a little more helpful to the public."