Amanda Burke is reporting for The Berkshire Eagle the candidates for Berkshire County, Mass., district attorney and sheriff will be not be participating in any debates hosted by the local branch of the NAACP, the organization said. According to the NAACP, it offered the two potential debate dates to all four candidates, but DA candidate Timothy Shugrue failed to commit by the deadline provided and incumbent Sheriff Thomas Bowler said he had a personal conflict. Both Shugrue and Bowler are Republicans. Democratic Sheriff candidate Alf Barbalunga and DA candidate Andrea Harrington agreed to appear. Shugrue's campaign said they were under the impression that negotiations over the date were ongoing when the NAACP announced the debate was off. The campaign has asked that the NAACP reconsider the cancelation and hold a DA debate. In a statement posted to social media, the local branch of the NAACP said it is the group's function to host debates. "While all the candidates have publicly spoken about equity and unfair practices towards marginalized groups, only Barbalunga and Harrington were able to make the dates we offered work," NAACP President Dennis Powell said in a statement. "And to us, this speaks volumes." Powell said the NAACP does not endorse candidates, but its role is to educate voters about the two positions and the four candidates competing for the opportunity to fill them. Powell added that he wanted to release publicly an accounting of how things unfolded from his perspective. Bowler and Shugrue point out they participated in NAACP forums this summer. Powell said those forums were aimed at educating voters about the roles of the respective offices, rather than an open exchange about policy or political positions. Read more in The Berkshire Eagle.