Taunton mayoral rivals trade barbs at debate. Here's what they said
TAUNTON — While by no means a bloodbath, don’t expect the mayoral candidates for this coming election to invite each other over for Thanksgiving dinner in the near future.
This past Thursday night Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell and her sole opponent, Ed Correira, squared off against one another in a candidates night debate, hosted by TCAM.
Plenty of barbs were traded between the two over the course of an hour, mostly originating from Correira’s previous positions as both campaign manager and chief of staff for O’Connell.
Who should get the credit?
Correira said that because of his “compassion, negotiation skills, out-of-box thinking” and commitment to bringing different teams and city departments together, that he either accomplished or set the wheels in motion on key projects and goals in the city when he was chief of staff.
“A lot of projects coming out now, I started. I left with things on the table, and a lot of them are now coming to fruition.”
Correira took credit for bringing the Villa Fatima property, 90 County St., before the mayor and City Council as the proposed site for the city’s new public safety building, as well as brokering the deal to purchase the land. “I put the whole deal together.”
O’Connell objected to this, saying that property was looked at as a site for a long time before by her administration and collaborating department officials, before it was purchased.
“It was a team effort working on it,” she said, and Correira’s assertion that he was solely responsible was “unfair to the whole staff” that worked on that deal.
Correira countered with, “I’m not saying I worked alone, but I brought all parties together.”
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Flipping when convenient on gasification plant?
O’Connell accused Correira of switching sides on issues he previously worked on with her and agreed with, such as the Aries proposal to open a biosolids gasification facility and the charter revisions.
“I can’t tell what he believes,” said O’Connell, who said it was Correira who brought the initial proposal by Aries to the city.
Correira said, as chief of staff, he was tasked with finding solutions to the city’s growing waste problems, the lost revenue with the closing of the city’s landfill, and the rising costs of transporting sludge out of state to a processing facility in Connecticut. Conversations he had with the DPW resulted in those initial discussions between the city and Aries.
“I said all along that we will never allow it here unless it’s 100% safe,” he said, adding that Aries has had two-and-a-half years to prove its technology is safe, and they still haven’t done it, which is why he remains unconvinced about the proposal.
O’Connell agreed with Correira that “this will never be approved if it isn’t 100% safe,” adding the proposal and research on the technology is still being reviewed by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
“People are already opposed to this, but let’s first see if it works.”
What about the charter?
“Ed was in many of those internal meetings about the charter. He’s now flipping,” she said.
Correira countered that he didn’t work on the charter and “I was too busy getting things done to be at those meetings.”
Correira said he is against many of the proposed revisions to the charter, such as changing the mayor’s term from two years to four, saying “two years is enough” to get support from voters and officials in order to get goals done.
He contends that if the charter proposal wasn’t pulled from this year’s ballot, it would have failed at the polls because the people don’t want an “all-or-nothing” vote.
“It’s too much to put on one vote,” saying the proposed revisions should be broken up into multiple votes.
O’Connell said pulling the charter proposal from the ballot was the right thing to do.
“It’s a very important document. We made a lot of progress with it,” she said.
She reminded those watching the debate the charter was pulled because of conflicts previously unforeseen, such as the passing of the Voting Rights Act, which expanded early and mail-in voting options, meaning language proposed for the charter could lead to a potential large increase in ballot returns and errors.
“It needs to be fixed first. Why give it to the community to vote on when we knew there were issues with it?”
Conflicts of interest?
When asked whether one of her campaign taglines, “full-time mayor,” is a dig at Correira, implying he won’t be, O’Connell didn’t deny it, saying he has too many business interests in the city, whether his or his family’s, to avoid conflicts of interest.
“I don’t have distractions, or side businesses, or conflicts. The people deserve 100% of their mayor, 100% of the time,” she said.
Correira makes no denials over his and his family’s decades of running businesses in the city, including Correira Insurance Agency, Anytime Plumbing and Heating, Whittenton Hardware or owning and managing apartment buildings.
He said all his children now run the businesses he started, and “I have nothing to do with them” anymore. He adds that many politicians in Massachusetts have their own businesses or familial business ties and that doesn’t stop them, or him, from adhering to regulations on ethics and conflicts of interest.
Regarding O’Connell’s “full-time mayor” tagline, Correira retorted with “I gave my all to the city as chief of staff…and to you, mayor, when I ran your campaign.”
Bad roads? Aging fire stations? What should Taunton spend money on?
Open for business
The management of business and finance are two areas that both O’Connell and Correira tout as strengths.
O’Connell referenced the city’s AA+ Bond credit rating, the highest Taunton has ever received, saying “we are in the strongest financial position we have ever been” because of all the strong policies and recommended practices put in place by her administration.
Correira talked about his work with DPW officials and the city’s financial team in funding much-needed road work for the city over the last several years.
“We needed to do roads across the city. That was the plan. Not just the downtown,” he said.
How to pay for new B-P school building?
Correira and O’Connell differ on how the city is going to pay for its portion of costs for building a new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational School building.
O’Connell contends the costs can be absorbed into the city’s budget, pointing to new revenue streams the city has been securing, such as the new solar array approved for the landfill.
“We are prepared for the future,” she said.
But Correira said he's skeptical it can be absorbed into the budget, arguing new ideas need to be implemented. One idea he has is reducing what he calls “roadblocks” for doing business in the city. For contractors, he disagrees with making the permitting process completely online, saying in-person options for applying and obtaining permits need to stay in place.
For attracting new businesses, an example he gave is lower the business tax rate, which will attract more businesses and revenue coming into the city, which can pay for the B-P costs.
“Businesses aren’t coming here because of what they have to pay in taxes, water, and sewer,” Correira said.
But O’Connell contradicted Correira by saying the last several years the amount of new businesses coming to the city, and developments being approved for construction, has steadily increased through both her administration’s and the Office of Economic and Community Development’s efforts.
“We are a hub of economic opportunity. People want to be here,” she said.
All eyes on the November election
Both O'Connell and Correira have shown their popularity and fervent fanbase in Taunton.
O’Connell contends through her established political career, including five terms as a state representative and two as mayor, that she is a “proven leader” with a “proven track record.”
“In four years, we’ve made a lot of progress in making Taunton a leading city. We are well on our way,” she said.
Correira contends Taunton is “the city I love and where my loyalty lies” and he has never had any other political ambitions other than to improve the city.
Correira concluded by saying, as mayor, he would work tirelessly to make Taunton a city where more people “want to stay and live in, do business here, raise children here” and ensure everyone can “prosper here with good paying jobs and affordable places to live.”
Can I still register to vote in the general election?
No, Friday, Oct. 27, was the deadline to register to vote, change party affiliation, or change your address for the general election on Nov. 7.
Where do I vote on Election Day?
Registered voters can vote in person on Election Day at their designated polling places, which can be found on the city's website.
Early voting by mail
All registered voters qualify for a vote-by-mail ballot for the November election. You must complete an application for a vote-by-mail ballot to be mailed to you. You can download an application on the Massachusetts secretary of state’s website.
What is the deadline to apply for an early vote-by-mail ballot?
The completed, signed application must be received by the Taunton Elections Department by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. It can be returned in person, by mail or by scanning and emailing it to elections@tauntonma.gov.
Early voting in person
Early voting in person for the Nov. 7 election will take place at City Hall, 15 Summer St., on the following days and times:
Saturday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.Monday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Tuesday, Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.Wednesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Thursday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Friday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
What is absentee voting?
Not everyone is eligible to vote via absentee ballot. Absentee ballot voting is restricted to people who won’t be in Taunton, for whatever reason, on election day, have a disability that keeps them from being able to physically get to the polls, or have a religious reason for not voting in person. An application for an absentee ballot can be found on the Massachusetts secretary of state’s website.
What is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot?
The completed, signed application must be received by the Taunton Elections Department by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. It can be returned in person, by mail or by scanning and emailing it to elections@tauntonma.gov.
How can I contact the Taunton Elections Department?
All inquires can be directed to your Elections Department Office, located in Taunton City Hall, or by calling them at 508-821-1044.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Mayor Shaunna O'Connell, Ed Correira debate ahead of election
