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| LWV denies it provided school candidate advance look at questions |
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A suggestion by School Committee candidate Joseph Tully that a rival who had lengthy notes may have received questions in advance from the League of Women Voters has drawn a sharp denial from the LWV. In his concluding remarks at the March 27 candidates' night at Town Hall, Tully noted that he values honesty, referred to "a candidate who has notes" and said, "I have an issue with that." He did not name the candidate. The Advocate editor reported online March 30 that "it appeared his remarks were directed at Leba Heigham."
No influence on queries, league volunteer says Asked March 28 to clarify, Tully confirmed he was suggesting that it appeared a candidate had received questions beforehand. In a phone interview, Tully seemed to backtrack a bit, saying he "stopped short of saying someone got them." VOTERS' GUIDE: Candidates answer LWV questions (pdf) League of Women Voter's site (noting rules for Candidates' Night) Merri Lea Shaw, LWV candidates' night chair, issued a statement, which said, in part: "Candidates’ Night is a non-partisan service providing information to the voters. The League of Women Voters takes action on specific issues we have studied, but we never support or oppose candidates. "During the program, one of the candidates made a statement to the effect that another candidate running for the same office had been provided with questions in advance. The League categorically denies this was the case. "All questions for that office were submitted on cards anonymously by audience members attending the program. A League selection committee chose the questions based on the relationship of the questions to the duties of the office, which were then given to the Moderator. "None of the candidates had prior knowledge of these questions before taking the stage. This was in accordance with the procedure established in advance of the program and detailed in a letter to the editor published in February." YourArlington asked school candidates whether they had received questions in advance. Joseph A. Curro Jr. issued a statement March 28: "I received no questions in advance, and I do not know what the basis of Mr. Tully's claim is. I believe he may be referring to one of our fellow candidates, who -- in my observation -- was extremely knowledgable and well-prepared with a tabbed binder containing perhaps twenty typed sheets of bullet points on very general topics such as diversity, discord, and special education." "Debate preparation is a crap shoot, and it is always a challenge to anticipate what kinds of questions might be asked. In getting ready for last night's forum, I also typed out talking points for many subject areas about which I thought questions might be posed. In the end, I did not use these notes, as none of them spoke directly to the questions that were actually asked during the candidates night. The process of preparation was nevertheless very valuable. "I respect all of my fellow candidates and the varied strengths, life experiences and knowledge that each of them brings to the table. I look forward to the next week of conversations with voters and to having the opportunity to play a greater role in securing our children's educational future." In a March 28 e-mail sent from his BlackBerry, Judson Pierce wrote, "I did not receive questions in advance." Heigham wrote in an e-mail March 29: "No, I did not receive the LWVA questions in advance." {mospagebreak title=Cable-TV rebroadcast schedule} While you're waiting, you may watch a rebroadcast of the forum on Arlington cable TV. See the schedule here (key to channels): Public Channel at 4:25 PM Public Channel at 10:30 AM & 10:25PM & 4:25 PM Public Channel at 10:25 AM & 10:25 PM Public Channel at 4:25 PM |
| Last Updated ( Sunday, 01 November 2009 15:39 ) |
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