WORCESTER – Six terms as mayor of the city of Worcester gives Joseph M. Petty an advantage over his four rivals for the position going into the Nov. 7 municipal election.
But this does not mean the current campaign has been an easy one for the mayor, as incumbent at-large councilors Khrystian King and Donna Colorio and fellow challengers Bill Coleman and Guillermo Creamer Jr. make their own cases.
The five hopefuls gathered at Mechanics Hall on Oct. 25 for their final debate. All five issued opening statements, answered 10 questions from moderators and summed up why they should receive the support of voters.
Petty, King, Creamer, Colorio and Coleman weighed in on these topics:
- The city’s dual tax rate
- The status of Worcester’s 62 public schools
- Worcester’s affordable housing shortage
- What should take precedence as the School Committee transitions to a different structure
- Economic development
- School safety
- Police accountability
- Charter reform
- Student performance
- The strategic plan for the schools
Petty: ‘I’m trustworthy to get things done’
Petty hammered home his role in progress the city has made.
“I have the history and the record to prove I’m trustworthy to get things done,” he said.
Petty cast himself as “wanting to continue the positive momentum we have going. I am a man of my word. I have earned residents’ trust through balance and collaboration. I am an even-keeled leader.”
Of the many projects undertaken to continue this resurgence, none is more important than redevelopment of the Saint Gobain property, Petty said.
“This is a key,” the mayor said. “It will be huge for the city of Worcester, with pad-ready sites. We need partners in this initiative.”
King: ‘I’m not an insider or part of the status quo’
King bore down on Petty’s portrayal of him as taking the city “backwards” or being “divisive.”
“For whom?” King asked. “I’m not an insider or part of the status quo. I’m a social worker, father, coach and mentor. Petty says I’m too focused on problems, but we have gaps.”
King said in closing: “Demographics in the city are changing and I am the face of that change. Just a short time ago Mayor Petty was going to leave us [in his bid for a State Senate seat]. I have all 10 toes in this. I don’t have one foot out the door.”
View of the Worcester Police Department
Petty said he is working toward “operational equity” in the Worcester Police Department (a chief diversity officer will help, he noted) and “more transparency,”
King said he is eager to see implementation of recommendations that will come from a Department of Justice investigation of the department. He said “challenges and concerns” remain that will have to be addressed.
King’s opinion was shared by Coleman, who said the WPD’s record has been “spotty since the 1970s. There has been no talk of the longstanding struggles of the WPD.”
Colorio said the DOJ’s investigation should be handled internally by Human Resources, “not City Council.” She voiced support for “police in schools [school resource officers, or SROs]. A focus should be put on the mental health issue and bringing parents on board. A more holistic approach” is needed in achieving school safety, she said.
Dual tax rate and the MCAS test
There was general agreement on both the dual tax rate and the MCAS test.
“In 1983, the city had a $14 per thousand single rate,” Coleman said. “More conversations are needed, and a game plan to move toward a single rate.”
King said: “I am all for a single rate but not on the backs of those who struggle. Every year Joe Petty has voted to tax you more.”
Petty said: “I wish the split rate had never happened. I always vote for what’s fair for all.”
Creamer added: “We are in an unfortunate position. I don’t see us closing that gap but we have to start and we have to use a multi-lens view.”
Colorio noted: “I have been for lowest residential since I was elected. We have one of the smallest gaps [between commercial and residential] of any gateway community” in the Commonwealth.
Regarding MCAS, Creamer led the responses by arguing, “MCAS should not be a graduation requirement.” More attention should be devoted to how to make some students “successful without college; we have to prepare our students for life.”
“MCAS is a failure,” Coleman jumped in. “We need to allow our teachers to teach.”
“I opposed MCAS since I was on the School Committee,” Colorio responded. “Enough is enough. As a graduation requirement it’s insane.”
King said “we should listen to the students, educators and the community. MCAS should not prevent graduation.” Petty added that “MCAS had to go.”
Creamer emphasized cooperation and collaboration
“Leadership isn’t about one person but all of us working collaboratively,” Creaner said.
Throughout the debate, he adhered to positions that identify him as the youngest of the five candidates, and the one most willing to think boldly about the city’s future.
Raised in a three-decker by South American immigrant parents who shuffled from home to home as renters, Creamer said: “A lot of our housing has not been built for families. I want us to be creative.”
Worcester residents have until Oct. 28 to register to vote in the municipal election, the same day early in-person voting starts.
Rod Lee is a career journalist, a veteran of the media scene in Worcester and Central Massachusetts, and the author of seven books including the recently published “Gil Cristopher,” a novel about the difficulties associated with aging. He lives in Northbridge with his wife Marie. He can be contacted at rodlee.1963@gmail.com
