Watertown mayoral candidates spar over city's golf club purchase

Mar. 19—WATERTOWN — With the election still months away, the two mayoral candidates are taking swipes at each other over the city's recent purchase of the former Watertown Golf Club.

City Council members Sarah V. Compo Pierce and Lisa A. Ruggiero have adamantly disagreed over the city purchasing the golf club for $3.4 million in Thompson Park from developer Michael E. Lundy.

Councilwoman Ruggiero supported the deal to ensure the 64 acres from ever being developed, while Councilwoman Compo Pierce opposed it partly for the $3.4 million price tag.

During the first weeks of the campaign, the golf course has become the first volley between the mayoral candidates as they are criticizing each other for the way they have handled the situation.

Councilwoman Compo Pierce sent out a news release after an appraisal showed that the city paid nearly three times more for land than what it's worth, calling it "disturbing."

She claimed that Councilwoman Ruggiero and council members Patrick J. Hickey and Cliff G. Olney III neglected their duty to represent taxpayers by voting for the deal.

She accused them of helping two developers involved in the deal, P.J. Simao and Mr. Lundy, because they had supported their political campaigns in the past.

"This is both unethical and wrong," she said.

In defending the golf club purchase, Councilwoman Ruggiero said in a prepared statement that Councilwoman Compo Pierce's continuing negative comments about the deal are hurting the city's chances of making the golf course a success.

"My opponent continues to attack this new city asset, which in turn, is negatively affecting staff who are working hard to get the course ready to open for the season.

"It's unfortunate my opponent has only one issue to talk about and Watertown is not a one-issue city," she said in the statement.

In her press release, Councilwoman Compo Pierce said that the deal "wasn't a bad thing" but the way that it was handled was wrong.

She reiterated that the deal was crafted behind closed doors and faulted the lack of transparency about it.

Their actions "demonstrated a lack of judgment and willingness to make reckless decisions with taxpayer dollars without doing the necessary due diligence," she said.

She also believes that the $3.4 million could have been spent on improving infrastructure, public safety issues and other necessary investments that could enhance residents' quality of life.

But Councilwoman Ruggiero said she did her due diligence to find out about the golf club before finalizing the deal.

Instead, she criticized her opponent for not attending meetings about it beforehand. It was the councilwoman and Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith who failed to do their jobs by refusing to become "informed" and "educated" about the purchase because they opposed it, Councilwoman Ruggiero said.

Councilwoman Compo Pierce failed to show up to the Aug. 31 meeting with Mr. Lundy to find out about his proposal, Councilwoman Ruggiero said.

She also accused Councilwoman Compo Pierce of misleading the public about the lack of transparency involving the deal.

As for closed-door meetings, two other meetings were held in executive session with Councilwoman Compo Pierce in attendance, along with City Manager Kenneth A. Mix and the city attorney.

"My opponent has chosen to throw Mr. Mix under the bus for her own selfish political reasons," she said.

In an interview on Sunday, Councilwoman Compo Pierce disagreed that her opponent did her homework on finding out about the golf club and what kind of condition it was in before the city purchased it.

She should have known that the clubhouse needs major electrical repairs before it can open, but it was discovered after the purchase was finalized.

Councilwoman Ruggiero said Sunday that her opponent also is to blame for not knowing about the condition of the building.

"Why is she pointing fingers? Why didn't she ask more questions?" Councilwoman Ruggiero said, asking why she waited until after the city purchased it.

Councilwoman Compo Pierce emphasized that the public has the right to know about the appraisal and the problems with the clubhouse's electrical system.

She also insisted that she's ready to help get the golf course open for the season on time and for it to be profitable.

"Now that the city officially owns the Watertown Golf Club, it behooves us all to work together and do our best to make it successful." Councilwoman Compo Pierce said.

But Councilwoman Ruggiero questioned the sincerity of that comment.

She pointed out that the councilwoman used some of the same words that Mayor T. "Tom" Urling Walker wrote in a letter before he died in January that urged council to come together and do what's best for the city as a group.

"However, words versus actions are two different things with Councilwoman Compo Pierce," Councilwoman Ruggiero said.

It's unclear now whether the golf club deal will continue to be the dominant issue of the mayoral campaign. It could depend on whether the Thompson Park Golf Course has a successful season under the city's first year of ownership.