Medford mayoral candidates Stephanie Muccini Burke and Robert Penta faced off in the city’s first debate of its kind in 28 years at the Chevalier Theater on Oct. 15.
Both candidates seek to replace resigning Mayor Michael McGlynn, who yesterday endorsed Burke to be his successor for the next term, according to a story in Wicked Local Medford.
The two-and-a-half-hour debate was moderated by Fox 25 investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh. A panel of five prominent Medford residents posed a range of questions prompted by submissions from city residents to Penta, a Medford city councilor, and Burke, a former Medford city councilor and director of budget and personnel.
During the debate, Penta described his policy package, which he referred to as the “Penta Plan.” His plan details the need to revamp the city’s parking kiosk system, create an Office of Cultural Affairs, build a new police department with a restructured financial plan, refurbish the city’s public library, conduct an independent auditing review of the city’s financial records and initiate a “Street Recovery Program.” At the core of Penta's platform was a need for transparency, he explained.
Burke drew from her municipal credentials as well as her experience as a working mom and small business owner. Her platform emphasized the revitalization of Medford’s culture and economy in places such as MedfordSquare through a five-year master plan, the improvement of City Hall’s customer service and the utilization of Mystic River, she said.
The two candidates offered similar answers to many debate questions; they agreed on the need to review and revise the city’s charter, the importance of bolstering MedfordSquare’s economic power and to respond to the city’s opioid crisis.
The candidates were sharply at odds over some issues, however, including the integration of the Green Line into Medford. While Burke said she was interested in developing a station at Route 16, Penta said he was highly skeptical of that plan and encouraged greater investigation into the potential effects it will have on West Medford’s businesses.
The candidates also clashed over the issue of Medford's parking kiosks, with Burke saying she wanted to work with small businesses to improve the city’s recently implemented pay-to-park kiosks and Penta saying that he was against the kiosks altogether.
Medford resident Cameron Breen and her daughter, Natalie Breen, felt that Penta had a more confident performance.
"I would have to say Penta won just because I feel like he gave more concrete examples,” Natalie Breen said. “I feel like he gave more specific details, like ‘I am going to do X, Y and Z.’ It was very to the point.”
Medford High School seniors Simon Ospenson and Michael Walker agreed that Penta “dominated” during the debate.
“To be frank, he’s a superior public speaker to Ms. Burke by far," Ospenson said. "He also seemed to have a lot more support from the audience. A lot of his speeches had a lot of cheering after them that you really didn’t see with Ms. Burke."
Medford City Councilor Paul Camuso, who is publicly in support of Burke, said he was less impressed by Penta's performance.
“I think Burke was more in-depth with the answers," Camuso said. "Her opponent, I think, at some points, was very evasive, not answering the questions...[W]hen her opponent was asked the same question [about the Community Preservation Act], there was no answer," he said, referring to a law passed by the state in 2000 that will be put on the city ballot Nov. 3. The law would place a surcharge on residents' taxes to pay for "preservation of open space, improvement of recreation, historic preservation and the development of affordable housing," according to PreserveMedford.org. While Burke came out in support of the bill, Camuso believed Penta offered no concrete stance.
"I still don’t know whether he’s for it or against it, and the debate is over," Camuso said.
Medford resident Milva McDonald said she thought gender may have played a role in the dynamic between the two candidates.
“Burke was more substantive, Penta had a little more fire to him," McDonald said. "Burke is a woman in politics, and it’s very difficult for a woman in politics to display any kind of emotion or passion because they get targeted, so I always take that into consideration when I’m watching a debate that involves a woman."
Walker offered a similar opinion on the candidates' different demeanors.
"[Burke] was trying to seem more calm and reasonable while she was talking and [was] presenting her points to seem like she might be more rational and reasonable in her decision-making," he said.
McDonald said she agreed with much of what Burke said, especially regarding the Green Line and the need to make the city friendlier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. She added that the election could have reverberations in community representation.
“It’s a big deal because we have had the same mayor for so long, and there’s been a certain level of stagnation in city government -- not just because of the mayor, but also because of the way the city is structured [in the city charter],” McDonald said. “I think there [are] certain segments of the city that feel like they haven’t had a voice, so I think there might be more hope now that they get a voice. The idea that we might have new blood in the city council and we’re going to have a new mayor gives people a certain feeling of excitement.”
Camuso said that having a new leader of Medford is “unprecedented territory.”
“I’m 38 years old, and I remember Mike McGlynn when I was 10 and his kids were very little," he said. "It’s a very exciting time of year here in Medford, absolutely."
For Walker, a resident who has only seen one mayor in his lifetime, going to the debate was worth the extra credit points he received in his class for attending.
"I think I probably still would have tried to go even if I didn’t get that," he said.
According to Wicked Local Medford, a second debate between the mayoral candidates will take place Oct. 28 at Medford High School. Election day for the mayoral candidates will take place on Nov. 3.
