Quincy mayoral candidates forum first round score card

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– News about Quincy MA from Quincy Quarry News
Quincy mayoral candidates forum first round recap and scorecards follow.
Quincy Quarry has already published by far the most column inches of coverage of any area media to cover Tuesday night’s lesser offices candidate forums.
Now it follows with coverage of the first round of the widely anticipated heavyweight fifteen round mayoral main event title fight.
Following, in alphabetical order, are assessments of the challengers’ performances along with the current heavyweight’s scorecard following thereafter.

First up, at Large City Councillor Doug Gutro presented a surprisingly focused case for his entering the race.

Gutro earned a number of points on his scorecard for scoring surprisingly hard hitting points ranging from the need for financial responsibility, over the mess that is Quincy Center, and what he properly called the current local de facto practice of essentially permitting the redevelopment by variance of outsized project that are variously wreaking havoc upon many a neighborhood in the Q.
Per the crowd’s reaction, Gutro clearly finished a solid second at this first round event graciously hosted by the Quincy Republican City Committee.
Whether – or not – this historically but also amiable lightweight fighter for his constituents drew any (fresh, ed.) blood out of his sitting heavyweight opponent is unclear as his opponent continues has been taking it on the chin as well as elsewhere for weeks, if not months, in all manner of other arenas.
Also unclear is if he can maintain his furious pace of attack on Tuesday’s night should he end up in a mano a mano final opposite a Sumo weight opponent.

Long time School Committee member and previous mayoral challenger Anne Mahoney also made her own impassioned as well as solid case for herself, albeit she was also a bit off focus at times.
Perhaps a bit of Opening Night yips?
Points well made by Mahoney included seeing that local taxpayers see value received for tax monies they paid, the lack of (honest, ed.) transparency by the current heavyweight in City Hall and the need for real as well as truly viable plans for the future of the Q as well as then actually following through with them.
As a result, she was clearly the most well-received by the audience at this first round forum and thus was the clear but not winning going away winner on scorecards overall at the end of this first round event.

Next up, former Mayor Bill Phelan made a solid case for his candidacy, ranging from his love of his hometown to calls for financial responsibility as well as real and lasting plans for Quincy Center after first poking a little self-deprecating fun at himself.
Obviously, as well as given his considerable past experience in the local political ring, his opening performance clearly indicated that he expects a long and as well as hard-hitting and is thus pacing himself accordingly.
While not obviously a Rope a Dope strategy, it was clear that his sights are set on taking on a dope who is clearly on the ropes after September’s preliminary bout.
In turn, he enjoyed a solid number three score from the crowd after this round one event.

Finally, as for the reactions to heavyweight incumbent’s performance at this first round event, his rote presentation smacked of what one would hear out of him at most any Chamber of Commerce breakfast event before he then cut and ran to hit the buffet line.
It was also clear that his recent weeks – if not near months – of limited public appearances was not because the duy embattled incumbent Mayor Thomas P. Koch has been off training hard for the campaign season.
In fact, on occasion during the forum he was spotted motioning to the event moderator in the hope that she might wrap up his opponent’s pummeling of him when an one of his opponents might have ran a tad over time as well as after unarguably already landing hard body blows upon his suspect record in office.

While not quite (yet, ed.) Weekend at Bernie’s time, he did not exactly convey that he was ready and able to convincingly survive the first round, much less go the distance.
In turn, this fair post event assessment was an unexpected surprise.
After all, the duly embattled incumbent has expensively retained three political consultants as well as a pollster to help him get into campaigning shape and then attempt to save his foundering political career, albeit apparently so far to no obvious avail.

While also not quite (yet, ed.) reaching the point of No Mas and then throwing in the towel, the heavyweight was consistently flat both on his feet as well as with his delivery, however fluidly it did flow out of his mouth.
In short, the sitting heayweight’s attempt to spin his myriad of shortcomings in office into claims of accomplishments was not selling with the forum’s audience.
So much for the embattled incumbent’s apparent abuse of Karl Rove’s playbook.
In point of unarguable fact, the audience’s reaction to his but arguably disinterested shadow boxing was often met with less even merely but perfunctory courtesy applause.

In fact, if the applause last night had been determining who continue on after the primary, not only would he have been voted off the island, he would have been bound in anchor chains and then dumped into deep water.
This, in turn, pointed out two telling points.
One is that reports as to how various polling efforts have found him to be profoundly vulnerable appear to be valid.
The other is that his campaign machine appears to continue to be Q-ing up.
At minimum, his well-laden with coat holders campaign management team failed to duly pack the room with sycophant shills.

Either that or his supporters are jumping ship.
And speaking of the shortcomings of the duly embattled sitting mayor and his coat holders, it must conversely be noted that over 50 Phelan supporters were out in the rain holding campaign signs at a standout at the nearby intersection of Hancock Street and Newport Avenue before the forums began as well as then continuing to do so through some of the early bouts.
Additionally, candidate Mahoney had around a half dozen of supporters out showing their support of her holding campaign signs.

No one, however, was out holding a sign for the embattled incumbent Mayor Thomas P. Koch.
Not a single and apparently only fair weather supporter.
Then again, when by far most of a candidate’s financial support comes from out of town special interests, such supporters are not likely to be coming to the Q to stand in the rain.
Expect Quincy Quarry to continue to cover this championship bout to its widely expected bloody conclusion.
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