THE CANDIDATE ANSWERED! SO, CASE CLOSED?

It was a beautiful October day in Saltonstall Park.

And excitement was in the air.

It would be a day of typical candidate forums − canned introductions, familiar talking points, and exceptional courtesy between opponents.

Fortunately for those of us who came with the hope of seeing news being made, the main event came first.

Would Nicole Gardner, Town Council Candidate for District A, own her now famous March defund the police letter to the Town Council? Would she explain why she has said nothing about her writing of that letter and has said nothing about her position on police funding since announcing her candidacy in July?

It was obvious from the beginning of their segment that she would have stayed silent on the issue had she not been called-out by her opponent, Mike Hanlon, when he announced that, unlike his opponent, he was not in favor of defunding the police department by $2 million, which would have resulted in the laying off of twenty police officers.

Candidate Gardner asked the moderator for extra time to respond.

She began by stating what we already knew. The former corporate executive believed Uplift Watertown’s (without mentioning their name) analysis of the budget. She clearly did not believe Town Manager Driscoll’s public refutation of that analysis.

She said that the letter was a “request” for information. Did you read the letter? Does it sound like a request or a demand?

Then… and here’s the bombshell. She announced that she had received a response to her letter from Town Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, who persuaded her that the police department budget was not out of line.

I hope there is an email record of that conversation. She said it was done with “transparency.” Wouldn’t that mean that we would be able to see the email exchange?

And lastly, she wanted to assure us that, if elected, she would vote to “fully fund” the police in future budgets.

But here’s the rub.

If Nicole Gardner wins in District A, and if two or three like-minded candidates also win, giving the Progressive caucus a five-to-four majority on the Council…

And if that majority prevails in hiring their choice of a new town manager…

And if the voters blindly vote to adopt the new Town Charter, which places more influence and control in the hands of a small number of select individuals…

We will have witnessed the take-over of town government by a well-organized, highly motivated minority, triumphing over a large majority of residents (our friends and neighbors) who are leaderless, complacent, and too often ill informed.

And in that new utopian experiment, “fully funding” the police will mean whatever they decide it means.

Have a nice day!