38 days to Nov. 5. The campaigns of state Rep. Marty Walsh and City Councillor At-Large John Connolly have agreed on three debates before the final election:

Tuesday, October 15, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., hosted by WBZ-TV, WBZ 1030 AM, and the Boston Globe, with Jon Keller and a Globe correspondent

Tuesday, October 22, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., hosted by WGBH-TV and WGBH-Radio, with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan

Tuesday, October 29, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., hosted by the Boston Media Consortium (including WHDH-TV, NECN, WGBH-TV, WCVB-TV, WGBH-Radio, WBUR Radio, and Bloomberg Radio)

In a joint statement, the campaigns said, “The details of debate formats and logistics will be negotiated among the campaigns and the host partners, and will be announced as they are available.” Prof. Peter Ubertaccio notes that the first debate will take place the same night as the primary in the Massachusetts Fifth Congressional District (the Ed Markey seat).

THE DAY AHEAD: A list of happenings, as provided by the campaigns. Schedule entries are subject to change:

State Rep. Marty Walsh

11:30 a.m. United Neighborhood Association "Meet the Constituents" (Greenwood Methodist Memorial Church, corner of Washington & Dakota Streets)

12:15 p.m. Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival (695 Columbus Ave)

2:15 p.m. East Boston Girls Softball League Breast Cancer Awareness Game (Sesta Field, Horace Street, East Boston)

3:15 p.m. Rocking with Raptors Community Day (500 Walkhill Street, Mattapan)

6:00 p.m. NAACP Freedom Dinner (Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Ave)

City Councillor At-Large John Connolly

NAACP Annual Freedom Fund Dinner
5:30 PM
10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116

CAMPAIGNS ISSUE STATEMENTS ON ARBITRATION AWARD: Both campaigns put out statements last night in reaction to reports of an arbitration panel signing off on a 25.4 percent raise over six years, amounting to $80 million.

Councillor Connolly:

"I take my responsibilities as a City Councilor seriously. This is about our city's fiscal health. This is also about our hard working police officers who have gone years without a raise. I'm going to read the arbitrator's decision, meet with the City CFO, meet with the BPPA, and then decide."

Rep. Walsh:

My ultimate goal as Mayor will be NEVER to go to arbitration when I am negotiating a contract with city workers. This is about striking a fair deal for the taxpayers and a fair deal for city employees. Arbitration is supposed to be a tool of last resort. I believe that this goal cannot be achieved by anyone who begins the process by drawing a line in the sand, as my opponent has said he will do. This is a fundamental difference between myself and my opponent.

There is a better way to do this. It involves transparency and trust. When I am mayor and we sit down to negotiate, there will be a mutual respect. The inevitable outcome of a lack of transparency and a lack of trust, is a greater cost. Sadly, you know who made out the best in this deal – not the taxpayers, not the first responders, but the lawyers.

ODDS & ENDS: The ballot order drawing for the Nov. 5 election will be held on Oct. 1 at City Hall.....John Barros, a community activist who ran for mayor, appears on New England Cable News’s “BroadSide.” “We were counting on more turnout,” he said…..Colette Philips, a supporter of Charlotte Golar Richie, sent to WGBH an email complaining about the media’s coverage of Richie, leading to a discussion on “Beat the Press”.....WBUR's "Radio Boston" tackles the results of the mayoral prelim.....The Boston Globe will have panel discussion on mayoral race on Oct. 16 at the Athenaeum. The panel includes Larry Harmon, Joanna Weiss and Adrian Walker, with Peter Canellos moderating.