Ducking an invitation to debate like he ducks media cameras,                                  controversial Putnam                                     Circuit Judge Norbert                                 "Ed" Eagloski, II, is                                      refusing to debate                                    challenger Phillip M.                                 Stowers.

Eagloski's arrogance is                                     a slap in the face to Putnam County voters who want to know where their candidates stand on important issues.

The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the October 8th debate, and extended an invitation to both Eagloski and Stowers. Challenger Stowers accepted immediately. According to Sherry Chapman of the Chamber, Eagloski turned down the invitation late Friday, the deadline to respond, citing a scheduling conflict.

Since judges set their docket schedule, it is doubtful that many people will believe Eagloski's "scheduling conflict" excuse. Later, Eagloski told The Daily Mail that he thought it would be "inappropriate" to debate.

On the other hand, Eagloski's challenger respects the public's right to know where elected officials and candidates stand.

"I welcome the opportunity to publicly debate my plans to improve the Putnam County Circuit Court," says Stowers. "The people in Putnam County want a judge that treats everyone with fairness and respect while making prompt decisions."

Eagloski's inability to make prompt decisions is just one of the criticisms leveled against him by lawyers who have privately complained about the judge.

It is a political tradition that troubled incumbents duck debates when their records are hard to defend.

Stowers has accused Eagloski of a backlog of civil cases, and planned to discuss that issue in the debate.

PutnamLIVE.com called Eagloski's office asking for his comments for refusing to debate Stowers. So far, Eagloski has not returned that call.

In addition to the charges of a case backlog, Eagloski has been accused of playing political favorites.

Nitro attorney Harvey Peyton filed a brief asking the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals to force Republican Eagloski to enter an order in a case involving longtime Putnam County Democrat Oshel B. Craigo.

"More than thirty (30) days have now elapsed since Craigo Real Estate Corporation's Rule 17.01 motion for disqualification was filed in Putnam County and a true copy thereof delivered to the office of Judge Eagloski," Peyton writes in a motion to the Supreme Court. "As of this date, Judge Eagloski has, to the best of counsel's knowledge, failed to take any action in accordance with the provisions of Rule 17.01 (b).  He has not forthwith forwarded a copy of said motion to the Chief Justice of this Court nor has he penned a letter to the Chief Justice and provided copies of such a letter to counsel stating his response to the motion.  The judge has simply chosen to ignore the mandatory duties imposed upon him by Rule 17.01; he has continued the same course of inactivity that helped precipitate the filing of the disqualification motion in the first place."

However, in a case involving another one of Peyton's clients, Disputed Hurricane Mayor Scott D. Edwards, a political ally of Eagloski, the judge ruled in favor of Edwards only 18 minutes after receiving the case, which is also being appealed to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

• What is Eagloski hiding by refusing to debate? In addition to the above issues:
   
• Charleston attorney Michael T. Clifford filed an appeal to the West Virginia Supreme Court when Eagloski cruelly sent a quadraplegic to Moundsville State Prison instead of a local facility where the man's family could assist in his care.
   
• Eagloski broke his in-court promise to toss out a case involving the former Hurricane Dog Warden, Robert "Frank" Stover, when the city failed to provide certified mail of the charges.
   
• Allowed Stover to continue to testify after Stover said he always had his badge when representing the city, yet failed to produce his badge on the witness stand. Despite this, Eagloski found in favor of Stover on one count of the case.
   
• Eagloski refused to set a hearing date for a Writ of Mandamus in a case involving the City of Hurricane.
  
  Eagloski Doesn't Set Noise Hearing
   
• When a Writ of Mandamus was filed with the Supreme Court demanding that Eagloski do his job and set a date, he filed a recusal including a very misleading statement to the Supreme Court.
   
• Eagloski has continually allowed some media photographers to take his picture while performing duties on the bench but has singled out PutnamLIVE.com more than once, refusing to allow us to take his photo. Even at the Lions Club Homecoming Parade, Eagloski was the only elected official who tried to duck PutnamLIVE.com's camera.
   
• Perhaps Eagloski doesn't want to answer questions about longtime allegations that he was seen walking around naked in a courtroom hallway.
   
• Or, perhaps Eagloski doesn't want to answer allegations that a court clerk left his job because Eagloski was accused of harassing him about his signature.

The Chamber initially said it would still hold a meeting where Stowers can address questions. The event was scheduled for 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 8th at the second floor of the courthouse at 3389 Winfield Road in Winfield.

However, Chamber President Marty Chapman canceled the event, saying, "The Chamber does not want to provide only one candidate a forum where his positions go unchallenged."

WOWK-TV-13 news anchor Sandra Cole was scheduled to moderate the debate.