he debate over the presidential debates was already well engaged in the spring of 1999 when Paul G. Kirk Jr. realized no New England institution had applied to host the quadrennial forums that attract an average 75 million viewers.
An idea seized Kirk, co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates and chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation board of directors: A presidential debate hosted by his library and the University of Massachusetts at Boston would boost both out of their relative obscurity.
''It was just obvious to me that there was a void in the area, and there was a natural nexus between the JFK Library and UMass-Boston,'' said Kirk, who served as chairman of the Democratic Party from 1985 to 1989. ''I thought I'd be shirking my responsibilities if I didn't encourage a local university to send a bid to the commission.''
Back then, no one raised a conflict-of-interest flag about Kirk lobbying for an institution of which he is a member. Nor was much made about the possibility of the library memorializing a Democratic president co-hosting a debate. Concerns didn't emerge until the past few weeks when Texas Governor George W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, refused to accept the commission's schedule - casting doubt on his appearing at the Boston debate.
In fact, the city's campaign for the debate can be traced back to 1992 when members of the commission, a bipartisan group formed in 1987 to end squabbling over presidential debates, mentioned interest in one of the nation's 10 presidential libraries sponsoring a debate.
''Obviously, a lot of our directors have an interest in certain sites,'' said Janet Brown, the commission's executive director. ''But board members understand, regardless of their particular preference, the single threshold is whether a site meets the requirements to hold a first-rate debate.''
Over the years, however, none of the nonpartisan, federally funded libraries made a serious bid. Of the 48 institutions that sent the commission proposals by June 1999, the only one that included a presidential library came from the University of Southern California and the nearby Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But that proposal quickly fizzled.
The absence of a New England application spurred Kirk to call Sherry Penney, the chancellor of UMass-Boston and an old friend, who also serves on the library's board. Kirk knew the library didn't have enough room to host the debate on its own. He also knew that universities, neutral settings that have long been the venue of choice for presidential debates, are more likely to get the commission's nod.
When Penny received the call that day in late June, Kirk's idea immediately appealed to her. She understood UMass-Boston, an up-and-coming urban school of 13,000 working-class commuter students, could benefit enormously from national exposure.
''This means a tremendous amount to us,'' Penney said in a phone interview. ''It is so germane and important to our mission. And it's a wonderful fit with the Kennedy Library.''
Not long afterward, UMass and the JFK Library sent in a formal application. Within weeks, commission staff traveled to Boston to assess the site: whether the school's gym had sufficient air conditioning, which TV cameras require; if the debate area had the right dimensions, at least 17,000 square feet; and whether there would be enough space for the expected 2,000 journalists.
The staff approved the facilities and in October the commission named the university one of 12 potential sites for the three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Other sites included Michigan State University, the University of Portland in Oregon, and the St. Petersburg Times in Florida.
The next month, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Senator Edward M. Kennedy hosted a breakfast in which local residents and corporate chiefs pledged $575,000 to cover the debate's production costs, the minimum a site must raise to qualify as a host. About 25 local companies eventually pledged money, including The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Boston Red Sox, Fleet Bank, and Fidelity Investments.
Everyone from Governor Paul Cellucci to Senator John F. Kerry sent the commission letters promoting the Boston debate. Paul Guzzi, president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, helped corral the cash.
The arguments Boston officials put forth to the commission included ''the new millennium's first debate should be in Boston because it's the cradle of American democracy, and it's the 40th anniversary of the first televised debate between John F. Kennedy and [Richard] Nixon,'' said Tom McNaught, the JFK Library's spokesman.
The push paid off. In January, the commission announced that UMass-Boston's Clark Athletic Center would be the first of the four sites to host a debate.
In a later Globe op-ed piece signed by Penney, Kirk, and University of Massachusetts president William M. Bulger, the three described how the city's first televised presidential debate would be ''a unique opportunity for national and international attention, commercial benefit, local pride, and most important, civic education.''
The commission's decision set in motion a host of costly preparations: paving grassy areas to support candidates' double-wide trailers and TV trucks, replacing ceiling tiles to support light fixtures, and rewiring portions of the athletic center to accommodate reporters.
It also prompted both the university and library to plan related lectures and voter-education projects, including a speech by former presidential adviser David Gergen, a talk by veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas, and a panel discussion on the presidential candidates featuring, among others, Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne.
Despite a year's worth of planning and $1.6 million raised, the campaign to host a presidential debate in Boston is now in jeopardy. George W. Bush continues to reject the commission's plan, even though its 12 members, made up of Republicans and Democrats, unanimously chose UMass-Boston for the Oct. 3 debate.
Although the four commission debates have been designed to ensure a maximum TV audience, Bush has proposed an alternative debate schedule, specifically excluding Boston. His plan promises to steer clear of Democratic turf. ''At face value,'' a Bush official told reporters, ''it seems difficult to argue that [the UMass campus] is neutral territory.''
Still, many of the key players in bringing the debate here are holding out hope their work won't be for naught. After the city lost out to Los Angeles as the host of this year's Democratic Party convention, local officials don't want to lose another chance at, at least briefly, capturing a place in the national political spotlight.
And for now, UMass-Boston officials are going ahead with preparations, signing a contract for electrical work that will cost $120,000 to $165,000. Within two weeks, unless the commission pulls the plug, UMass will complete work expected to cost between $250,000 to $400,000.
''We're not predicting it's going to be a loss,'' Penney said. ''We're pushing ahead and all the events will be held. At the least, we hope this heightens awareness about the electoral process.''
