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Granby, NY - Green Party candidate Ursula Rozum, a bicycle-riding peace activist from Syracuse, took her message to Republican country Thursday night as a guest of her opponent, the incumbent U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle.

Even Buerkle, one of the most conservative Republicans in New York politics, was impressed.

"She got herself on the ballot," Buerkle said. "She has the courage to stand up for what she believes."

A member of the audience at the town hall-style meeting in Granby asked the two candidates this question: If they couldn't vote for themselves, then who would get their vote?

Left with a choice between Rozum and Democrat Dan Maffei, Buerkle went with Rozum.

Rozum, however, said no one. "Like a lot of people that are going to be voting for me, I probably wouldn't be voting on this election day," she said.

Between the two was an empty chair for Democrat Dan Maffei, who turned down an invitation to attend Thursday's event and three more in the coming weeks. He said the event was a "political scheme" and that Buerkle uses these meetings to distort the truth. Two members of his campaign were in the audience.

Buerkle took the opportunity to say Maffei's absence was "reprehensible" and a "dereliction of duty."

His absence left no one to defend Democrats or the Obama administration on military, health care and economic policies.

The dynamic had a strange twist. The candidates may be opposites, but the event could help them both.

Rozum could win some name recognition and a new audience for her views. And any support for Rozum can help Buerkle. Buerkle and Maffei are so far tied in a rematch of the 2010 race, most polls show. Rozum is getting about 7 percent, polls show.

Buerkle's town hall meetings have been criticized as staged events with a hand-picked audience and questions. This event was open to the public and the candidates answered every question that was submitted in writing and dropped in a box.

The questions stuck to the major issues candidates have debated in the 2012 elections so far: social programs, health care, the military, abortion, education and the economy.

Not surprisingly, there were many clear differences.

The Green Party has a platform for climate change and jobs called the Green New Deal, which relies on government-funded jobs.

Buerkle takes a strong stand that the government needs to get out of the way and allow the private sector to make jobs.

Buerkle is opposed to federal funding for Planned Parenthood, while Rozum supports funding the organization that she says helps people who could not otherwise afford reproductive health care.

On climate change, Buerkle said the question is not whether there is climate change, but whether humans are causing it.

"The science is not decided on global warming," Buerkle said.

Rozum, who works for the Syracuse Peace Council, mentioned the military's expense and its controversial drone operations in Pakistan.

"You have to ask who is being a terrorist," she said. "How would I feel if there were unmanned planes flying over my community?"

Buerkle pointed out that the military only makes up about 19 percent of the budget.

"It's not the reason we are in debt. It's not the reason there is a deficit," Buerkle said.

This was the first time for Oswego County voters to meet both candidates. The Congressional District changed this year to include Oswego County and the number changed to the 24th District.

The event was moderated by Beth Hilton, executive director of the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running television advertisements that support Buerkle, but the local chamber is not affiliated with the national chapter and does not take sides, Hilton said.

Michelle Breidenbach can be reached at (315) 470-3186 or mbreidenbach@syracuse.com.