The Great Debate: Gill, Turco Set out Their Points-of-view

Tuesday night’s debate between Town Council candidates Peter Gill, the incumbent Council President, and Jeffrey Turco, the challenger,  well-served both the voters and the candidates. As was the case two years ago, when their roles were reversed and Mr. Turco was the incumbent and Mr. Gill the challenger, the debate highlighted the strong differences between Mr. Gill and Mr. Turco both in terms of substance and their style of leadership.

Both men did a good job in articulating their respective points of view and in expressing  their accomplishments in office during their respective two-year terms.  About the only matter on which the two seemed to agree was their acknowledgment that House Speaker Robert DeLeo has done an outstanding job in moving along the Winthrop Beach Renourishment program through the state bureaucracy.  The pair diverged most notably on the question of whether to construct a new Winthrop middle/high school, with Mr.  Gill stating he will vote for the project at the November 5 referendum and Mr. Turco stating he will vote against it.

As was the case two years ago, the debate truly has given the voters a clear choice at the ballot box.  The town will be facing a number of important issues in the next two years (as it always does) and those whom we elect to our local offices, especially Town Council President under the new Town Charter, will have a great impact upon the future direction of our community.

We hope every voter will study the issues and the candidates’ positions in the weeks ahead in order to make an informed choice at the polls on November 5.