Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren owed it to herself to get healthy when what her spokesman called a “significant allergic reaction” put her in the hospital for five days.

Now that she’s been discharged, she owes voters a televised debate.

Warren’s hospital stay, which ended Sunday, forced the indefinite postponement of two scheduled debates with the candidates challenging her in the Democratic primary — Rachel Barnhart and James Sheppard.

The first of those debates, hosted by the League of Women Voters and WROC-TV (Channel 8), was planned for last Thursday. The second, a Voice of the Voter debate, hosted by the Democrat and Chronicle, WXXI and WHAM-TV (Channel 13), was to take place Monday.

Media outlets have addressed the postponements diplomatically, indicating that they’re working with all the candidates to reschedule. Warren’s campaign spokeswoman has said the same thing.

But there won't be two televised debates, and a single debate is increasingly unlikely given the rate of negotiations.

That’s because only two of the candidates — Barnhart and Sheppard — have offered to clear their calendars to make a debate happen before the Sept. 12 primary two weeks away.

Each said their evenings until the election are booked, but that they could rearrange most nights to debate live. In addition, each offered to tape a debate during any day between now and Sept. 11 that could be aired on prime-time television.

Warren, on the other hand, has suggested that media outlets film a “Mayoral Candidates Employer Forum” at the convention center on Sept. 7 hosted by the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and moderated by Spectrum News Rochester (Channel 9).

The forum involves candidates from across party lines fielding questions from business leaders. The evening, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m., begins with a “cocktail networking reception.”

Such events provide a service during political campaigns, but they’re not debates. Broadcasting one as a substitute to a debate is not an acceptable alternative.

As recent presidential races have shown, debates take many forms. But they typically provide for timed responses and rebuttals to questions that touch on a variety of topics.

The chamber forum is expected to focus on economic development in Rochester — a critical issue, and one of great importance to the chamber’s members, but not the only issue.

Media outlets have rightly rejected Warren’s proposal to film it. Even Spectrum has no plans to televise it.

A Rochester mayoral race without a debate would upend at least 32 years of tradition.

Televised debates have been part of mayoral campaigns since at least 1985, when the city moved from its old city manager system of government in which the City Council selected the mayor.

The first televised debates prior to a primary were in 1989 between Mayor Tom Ryan and Councilman John Erb, both Democrats.

Debates have proven to be great equalizers for candidates. A series of pre-primary debates were credited with spring-boarding Bill Johnson to the mayoralty in 1993.

“Research going back nearly 40 years indicates that local televised political debates can have an important impact,” said Timothy Kneeland, a political science professor at Nazareth College.

For one thing, Kneeland said, there are usually more undecided voters in local elections than national elections, and those who tune in use the debates to gather information.

Secondly, he said, debates are media events that generate analysis and discussion that enhance public discourse about the election.

“Since turnout in local elections is so low, anything that will enhance interest and encourage individuals to vote is a plus for the community,” Kneeland said. “I would say (debates) are a necessary part of community democracy.”

Warren reportedly told WROC-TV by phone that she’s “looking forward to actually having a debate” and that she isn’t ruling out a televised event.

She reportedly said her allergy caused her face and vocal chords to swell and that, while the swelling has subsided significantly, she’s not in top physical form.

“Just working with my doctor to see when everything will clear up so I will actually be a formidable opponent,” Warren reportedly said. “I don’t want to get up there and sound like I’m sounding right now.”

Warren is missing a candidate event on Tuesday, but is still scheduled for the Chamber of Commerce forum.

If she’s well enough to attend the chamber forum and have it televised, then she’s well enough to carve out time for a legitimate debate.

Four years ago, Warren showed in a televised debate that she could hold her own against Mayor Tom Richards. The rest is history.

Her challengers deserve the same opportunity. Voters deserve it, too.

David Andreatta is a Democrat and Chronicle columnist. He can be reached at dandreatta@gannett.com.

Update

Late Tuesday afternoon, the League of Women Voters of the Rochester Metropolitan Area and the Rochester People's Climate Coalition announced that they would have a mayoral primary debate Wednesday evening, August 30, at 6:30 p.m. The announcement said the event, which will focus on environmental issues, would be held whether or not all the candidates showed up. It will be in the Gleason Auditorium of the Central Library, at the corner of Broad Street and South Avenue. It was not clear what, if any, arrangements were made to televise the event.