Campaign Politics

From the day Robert Sweeney announced his intention to run against Kathy Fagan for Selectman, there was a suspicion among many that Mr. Sweeney was motivated primarily by the future of the Governor Stoughton land that abuts his neighborhood. Now he appears to be attempting to win the election by completely misstating Ms. Fagan’s position on that very issue.

Over two years ago the Board of Selectman appointed a committee to study and recommend potential land uses for the Town Poor Farm, consistent with the will of Governor Stoughton. Robert Sweeney was co-Chair of that committee. Their report was issued in December with the single recommendation that an endowment fund of $5 million be established, with three alternatives for raising such a fund. One of those alternatives involved developing the property for affordable housing.

During the last few weeks the Sweeney campaign has been telling voters that Kathy Fagan supports high-density affordable housing on the Governor Stoughton land. This claim is completely false. Understandably it hasn’t been made publically in literature, or in debates. In politics there is often an underground campaign waged simultaneously with the public one. Unfortunately, in Milton it’s been raised to an art form over the years. Using the ancient network of the rumor mill, you can communicate what you wouldn’t want to answer to publically over the back yard fence, at sporting events, while dropping the kids off to school or wherever you meet fellow residents. If you’re lucky, the campaign is not discovered until it’s too late for the truth to overtake it.

Kathy Fagan opposes high-density affordable housing on the Governor Stoughton land. In fact, she opposes high-density housing anywhere in the town because she believes the costs associated with providing town services, especially school costs, would outweigh the benefits. If you’d like to see it in Kathy’s own words, click on the link to her website on the left.

Now, let’s focus our attention on the broad portfolio of issues we have every right to expect our Selectmen to deal with. We’ve begun to make real progress on some fronts during a frightful economic period. A single issue candidate motivated by an issue with a personal interest on the Board of Selectman would be a step back.

If you think your friends might be victims of the underground campaign, forward them a link to this blog or to Kathy’s website. While you’re visiting Kathy’s website, take a look at the debate segments posted there. I think they speak for themselves about who is best equipped to deal with the many issues we face.

You can see the complete League of Women's Voters debate for all positions here:

http://lwvmilton.homestead.com/YouTube.html