LOL, Lynn, MA mayoral election: Rep candidate calls cops on Dem Mayor..lol!

[graywarrior]

By Robin Kaminski / The Daily Item


Mayoral candidate and City Councilor at large (R) Judith Flanagan-Kennedy (left) and incumbent (D) Mayor Edward Clancy were barely cordial to each other during their debate Thursday night at the Community Brotherhood of Lynn, where the current controversy over the Clancy campaign flyer had its beginnings. Item Photo / Reba M. Saldanha


LYNN - In what Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. called an effort to shift attention away from the scandal surrounding his opponent's campaign manager who resigned over the weekend, challenger Judith Flanagan Kennedy filed a complaint with police Saturday alleging Clancy's camp illegally attached her signature to a piece of campaign literature.

The Clancy flyer in question is a copy of part of the North Shore Labor Council Municipal Candidate Questionnaire relating to property taxes, which states, "Judith Flanagan Kennedy ranked raising your property taxes as her #1 way to increase revenue" with her signature, dated Aug. 25, 2009.

After seeing the mailer, Kennedy immediately filed a complaint with Lynn police.

"He (Clancy) used my signature from a particular document and then applied it to a document that I did not sign and purported it to be an actual copy of the questionnaire," she said. "I believe that is a violation of chapter 56, section 42 of the Massachusetts general laws and that is why I filed a police complaint."

The issue has been repeatedly raised by Clancy during mayoral debates, in which Kennedy has insisted that he (Clancy) took her answer out of context and that she only chose property taxes on the questionnaire because it was the only choice given that a mayor has power over.

"He (Clancy) knows that I have made myself very clear on this and that I have no intention of raising taxes," she said. "He is just doing this to mislead the public." Clancy, however, said Kennedy is merely trying to create a smokescreen to avoid the real subject of property taxes and her decision to choose it on the questionnaire as the number one revenue raiser for the city.

"She's been talking about making government more open and transparent, so isn't this an example of the ultimate openness or transparency?" he said. "We're in the midst of a political campaign, she can't have it both ways."

As to whether Kennedy's signature was doctored with, Clancy repeatedly said that her signature was on the questionnaire.

"I asked her (at the NAACP mayoral debate on Oct. 22) if that was her signature on the document and she said yes, so I don't know what she's getting at," he said. "I took the same questionnaire and I know that I signed it."
When Clancy presented the questionnaire to Kennedy at the debate, she said, "Yes, of course that's my signature."

Lynn Police did not provide a copy of the complaint to The Item Sunday night as requested.

http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/articles/2009/10/26/news/news02.txt

[meegbear]

1. FUN! FUN! FUN!

I got the flyer the other day, still have it. Will have to check it out.

[graywarrior]

2. Scan it and send it to me.

I wish I lived in Lynn right now. I would love to have been at the debate.