By Deepa SeetharamanThe Daily Northwestern

Evanston residents witnessed a rare demonstration of civil political debate on Saturday during a candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

About 35 people attended the forum at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, 1330 Ridge Ave., to hear the debate between incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and her Republican challenger, Michael Shannon. The two are running for the Ninth Congressional District, which includes Evanston, Skokie and parts of Chicago. Schakowsky has represented the district since 1998.

The two discussed a wide range of issues, including the war on terror, healthcare, the budget deficit and political corruption in Illinois.

Both candidates said they opposed the Iraq war but had different plans for dealing with terrorism in coming years. Schakowsky advocated slowly retracting troops from the war zone while engaging in international discussion about the war on terror’s consequences nationwide.

“We need to have a follow-up plan,” she said. “We need to consult with Iraqis themselves. We need to work with the international community.”

Negotiation is the bedrock of Shannon’s foreign policy plan. He advocates recasting the war on terror as a negotiation between two parties.

There needs to be “a strategic discussion” between the West and the Arab-Muslim world, said Shannon, who works for Sears Holding Co. as a contract negotiator.

“It will also reduce the perception that the war on terror is a war on Islam,” he said.

The U.S. will have a better chance of effecting change with this approach, he added.

On healthcare, Schakowsky supported universal access.

“We ration healthcare in the United States and that ration card is the dollar bill,” she said. “In so many ways, we’re falling behind. Every family deserves access to quality,

affordable healthcare.”

Shannon said the solution to accessible healthcare is to give incentives for businesses to provide employee health benefits and to create a national cost guideline for doctors to mitigate price disparities for similar surgeries.

Both candidates held dismal views of the national debt, which as of Friday totaled $8.5 trillion.

“We face stark choices in the next 40 to 50 years,” Shannon said. There will be an “unprecedented fiscal hurricane.”

Schakowsky criticized tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, saying they widen the disparity between the poor and the rich.

“You’re talking about the Paris Hiltons getting tax cuts,” she said.

Audience members wrote in questions to the candidates halfway through the session. One person asked Shannon and Schakowsky to address corruption in Illinois politics.

Shannon said he believed campaign contributions are the root of political corruption. During this campaign, he has refused any donations. He depends on word of mouth and his Web site, which cost $200 to set up, to get his message across.

“What I propose is to cut out the supply chain of cash,” Shannon said. “I don’t accept any campaign donations. I’m not independently wealthy either.”

Schakowsky agreed that big donors can have undue influence on a politician’s policies, but said politicians should still be able to rely on smaller donors.

Many audience members said they were impressed by the lack of hostility during the debate.

“It was a very positive debate,” said Kate Mahoney, Weinberg ’81, an Evanston social worker. “It was very respectful. I was very happy they could be so responsive.”

Election Day is Nov. 7. Early voting begins Nov. 2. Call 312-603-0906 or visit www.voterinfonet.com. Late voter registration ends Oct. 24.

Reach Deepa Seetharaman at [email protected].