A Fine Debate: Candidates Deliver Their Message

The Town Council President’s debate between incumbent President Jeffrey Turco and candidate Peter Gill certainly lived up to the hype with both candidates delivering their message very well under the spotlight of live television.

Turco, whose outstanding performance in the debate two years ago helped propel him to a decisive victory over two other strong candidates, spoke about his two-year record as president, citing a number of accomplishments during his administration. Gill for his part was able to articulate his thoughts about the issues and outline his vision for the future.

Both candidates were respectful, courteous, and did a good job of directly answering the questions posed by the panel. Some observers probably were surprised by the number of times that Gill and Turco seemed to be in concurrence.

One of the few areas of discourse seemed to be when Gill said he would alter somewhat the “style” of leadership exhibited by Turco if he were elected. Gill said he would promote more “citizen participation” in his administration.

Which candidate will be able to carry forth the momentum from the debate toward Election Day? We’re not in the business of predicting elections, but if our assessment of the pulse of the community is correct, the election has captured the imagination of the townspeople.

It is clear that the excitement of the political process still has a large following in our town and that our townspeople do care about what happens in Town Hall.

We also offer our congratulations to WCAT executive director Michael Cabral, Chamber of Commerce executive director Eric Gaynor, moderator Ronald Vecchia, and panelists Chamber President Bernice MacIntyre and Transcript reporter Joseph Domelowicz for staging such a professional debate.