~
On his show Friday, October 23 WHMP radio show host Bill Dwight takes issue with another local political candidate. If you recall in a scathing email he attacked among others At-Large City Council Candidate Kathy Silva on September 16. This time Ward 1 challenger Andrew Vidal-McNair is Dwight's subject. Although I often agree with Dwight's opinions on national issues I am less than enamored with his approach to local politics.
Interestingly Dwight begins Friday's show by stating several City Council candidates have declined invitations to appear on his show. They are Ward 3 Candidate Angela Plassman, At-Large Candidate Kathleen Silva, Ward 7 Candidate Gene Tacy and Ward 1 Candidate Andrew Vidal-McNair.
In relating these candidates to one another Dwight is promulgating a mythical construct for his listeners. He characterizes the aforementioned candidates as part of Mayoral Candidate Michael Bardsley's, "team," a team that is challenging incumbents. Using this logic one can argue the incumbent candidates are part of Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins' team, a team that is fending off challengers. (Silva and Tacy are not challenging incumbents. The two At-Large seats and the one Ward 7 seat are open.) Dwight suspects these candidates confer with Bardsley although he acknowledges he could be wrong. Here Dwight is engaging in innuendo and provides no evidence for his assertions. I suspect Dwight is conferring with the Higgins campaign. Of course his September 16, "tea baggers," email sent to Higgins' campaign operatives and its subsequent distribution provide ample evidence that he is.
Vidal-McNair, a married gay man and a Democrat who worked on successful political campaigns for U.S. Congressman John Olver, D-Amherst, is running for the Ward 1 seat against Dwight's successor, Maureen Carney. According to Vidal-McNair he spoke with Dwight as a potential constituent but elected not to appear on his radio show.
In describing the, "interview," Dwight starts out with a parenthetical explanation of Vidal-McNair's views on affordable housing, basically asserting the candidate is opposed to it. Dwight adds that Ward 1 probably has the highest concentration of affordable housing complexes in the city. He may be right but he provides no data to validate the latter comment. Dwight claims Vidal-McNair is not concerned with the people in these complexes and will turn his back on diversity in Ward 1. Thus Dwight makes an implicit suggestion the challenger is a racist. So Dwight implores his audience to believe Vidal-McNair would choose to ignore and to disparage a large segment of the Ward 1 community, a community he would represent if elected. He then goes on to invoke former Ward 1 City Councilor Michael Kirby's name as someone opposed to Vidal-McNair's alleged views even though Kirby supports Vidal-McNair's candidacy.
Dwight then takes issue with Vidal-McNair's supposed stance on the Retail (Big Box) Ordinances on King Street, ordinances Dwight championed along with former Councilors Alex Ghiselin and Rita Bleiman. During mayoral debates Higgins sites her failure to engage with these ordinances when they were a work in process in 2002 as a mistake of her administration and indicates she would like to revisit them. For Dwight it is acceptable for Higgins to do so. At the same time he disavows Vidal-McNair's right to an opinion on the matter because he was not a part of the process and therefore was not privy to the conversation. *(Note Dwight does not object to Big Box buildings like the new Kollmorgen facility on Hospital Hill, the proposed Hilton Garden Inn behind Pulaski Park downtown and Smith College's recently opened Ford Hall on Green Street. I believe each of these buildings is larger than the Walmart store currently located on North King Street.)
Finally according to Dwight, Vidal-McNair said he opposed the spring override because there is no line item budget for citizens to review. *(This is blatant misinformation. Vidal-McNair says he voted for the override.) Dwight asserts that he does not know what this means nor what kind of information a line item budget would provide to better inform decision makers. Coming from a former City Councilor in Dwight who at one time was approving Higgins' budgets this is alarming. The standard definition of line item budgeting according to the University of Wisonsin Extension (PDF) is as follows:
The classification of expenditures on the basis of categories called objects-of-expenditure (personnel services, contractual services, capital outlay, etc.) and within each category more detailed line-items (salaries, travel, telephones, etc.). This type of budget focuses attention on how much money is spent and for what purpose rather than the activity affected or its outcomes.
Clearly the budget summaries provided the Council and the public by Higgins annually are not filled with overwhelming detail regarding spending or outcomes. Providing a line item budget would further the understanding by Councilors and the public as to the Mayor's spending proposals and of departmental spending habits. It would also give Councilors an opportunity to make specific recommendations to the Mayor. In any event more information certainly would not hurt.
After learning of another Dwight slight I did some fact checking and contacted Vidal-McNair and asked him for his comments on Dwight's October 23 characterizations of his positions. The following is Vidal-McNair's response.
Bill Dwight is at it again. First attacking Bardsley campaign supporters on behalf of Mayor Higgins, now he is coming after me on behalf of his candidate of choice for Ward One City Council, Maureen Carney.
On Thursday, October 22, 2009 after several e-mails and phone calls I agreed to meet with Bill at his place of employment to discuss some of his concerns as a possible constituent.
Bill asked me about an e-mail circulating around condeming my views of affordable housing and Section 8 housing. I knew of no such e-mail and explained to Bill that I had no idea what he was talking about. I then asked him to forward me a copy of said e-mail and he replied, "I don't have the e-mail I have just heard people talking about it." He then asked me, "What do you think of Section 8 housing?" I replied many constituents I have spoken to have concerns about the conditions of the Section 8-affordable housing units related to outside appearance, abandoned automobiles and litter. I then said I would like to review the processes for inspection.
I never said that I was investigating. I never said property crimes and domestic abuse comes from the Section 8-affordable housing and I never said that I am turning my back to those who live in the affordable housing units. I also never said that I am not appealing to voters in Ward One A. I have worked hard all over this ward A+B. I have the support and the lawn signs to prove it.
Bill then asked me why I wanted to change the zoning regulations for King Street and he wanted to let me know he worked hard on the zoning regulations when he was the City Councilor for Ward One. I replied times change and the zoning regulations need to be reviewed to create additional sustainable business and economic growth. I never said I wanted to make room for Big Box stores to move onto King St.
Bill then went on to ask me if I supported the Proposition 2 1/2 override and what I want to change about the budget process. I replied I did vote for the override, for the citizens were left with very few options. If the Budget was completed line item by line item and prioritized spending was implemented I felt we could have avoided the override. He then stopped me and asked, "What is a line item budget?" I chose to walk away at this point in the conversation. Anyone who has been an elected official or knows how to use Google should certainly know what a line item budget is.
I chose not to go onto the Bill Dwight show for a couple reasons. My first encounter with Bill Dwight was at his house. I and my campaign supporters knocked on his door while campaigning door to door. He came to the door and as I was introducing myself he stopped me and said, "I don't know anything about you and I HAND PICKED MAUREEN CARNEY to be our next city councilor when I stepped down. Look me up on the radio station website and maybe I can have you on my show."
Second reason is the e-mail he sent out about Bardsley supporters. I see a pattern here and I want nothing to do with it.
Andrew Vidal-McNair, Candidate for City Council Ward One A+B.
