METHUEN — Mayor William Manzi yesterday repeatedly accused his challenger in the Nov. 3 election, Al DiNuccio, of lacking knowledge about municipal finances and failing to provide voters with specifics.
DiNuccio said Manzi has mismanaged the city, costing taxpayers $2 million in lawsuits. But DiNuccio did not elaborate on what lawsuits he was talking about.
The two sparred during a 30-minute debate on Methuen Community Television's "Politically Active."
Manzi's tactic was to paint DiNuccio as an unqualified candidate while highlighting his own experience of cutting spending by more than $2 million and managing Methuen through "the worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression."
"Where's the beef?" Manzi asked, saying DiNuccio has failed to provide a specific platform. "You're a man without a plan, Al."
At least four times Manzi said DiNuccio lacks knowledge of municipal finances. He said DiNuccio's claim that the mayor has cost the city $2 million in lawsuits is "unsubstantiated and clearly wrong."
DiNuccio fired a barrage of damnations at Manzi.
"You added $18 million in spending to the budget the four years of your administration," DiNuccio said. "You have raised the residential tax rate 16.5 percent. You raised the commercial rate 23 percent. We did not get a new school during these four years; we did not get anything substantial. Where did the money go?"
Manzi said DiNuccio needs to "bone up" on municipal finance and that city government has "shrunk." DiNuccio said "it seems" the money went to lawsuits, consultants' fees and poorly managed grants.
"Some of your supporters, Al, were managing those grants," Manzi said, referring to federal law enforcement grants the city has been asked to repay. DiNuccio has worked as a part-time officer for the Methuen Police Department. Manzi, with his first question, grilled DiNuccio about a statement the challenger made in the Sept. 6 edition of The Eagle-Tribune about what he would do if the state Civil Service Commission reinstates fired police Chief Joseph Solomon.
"I have three deals that I could offer to Joe Solomon to get him to leave his position," DiNuccio said in the article, declining to offer specifics.
"What are those plans, and don't the voters of Methuen have a right to know what deals you hope to strike with Joseph Solomon?" Manzi asked yesterday.
DiNuccio said he received legal advice and discovered he can't do what he planned.
"So I had to back off that statement," he said.
DiNuccio said Manzi "admitted" the $70,000 paid to Robert Kfoury, the School Department's new administrator of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school program, was "too high" and asked what Manzi will do about it. Manzi said he didn't "admit" the salary is too high, he just said it's open to debate.
Manzi asked DiNuccio how he would have closed the city's budget deficit last fiscal year and noted that DiNuccio has said he would not favor a pay freeze for city employees earning less than $100,000.
"Our wage plan for fiscal year 2009 had imposed a 10 percent wage cut on all employees, saving $1.9 million. If we used your criteria, we would have saved about $69,000. How would you have made up the difference this year between those two figures?" Manzi asked.
"I honestly believe, if I was mayor over the last four years, we would not have had to make some of these cuts," DiNuccio said.
DiNuccio said he wouldn't let 26 city employees take city-owned vehicles home, as is the practice. DiNuccio said he wouldn't hire all the consultants that Manzi hires, he would take away stipends for city employees who drive their own vehicles on the job, and reduce the use of gasoline and city-owned cell phones.
"I have 30 years in the business world managing humongous corporations," said DiNuccio, co-owner of East Coast Cabinet in Lawrence. "I know how to look for savings."
DiNuccio asked Manzi what he's doing about problems with the selection of reserve police officers and firefighters. In a report released in August, the state Civil Service Commission said Methuen's selection of 12 reserve police officer candidates last year was "fundamentally flawed" and "flouted the civil service law and rules repeatedly." Manzi chose relatives of police Chief Katherine Lavigne, a police captain and politicians instead of higher-ranked candidates as reserve officers.
Manzi said he's requiring members of reserve selection committees to recuse themselves if they have a family member applying for a job.
"Under my administration, I will hire the most qualified people for the job, not the most connected," DiNuccio said.
"Why would the voters select a candidate who has run an entirely negative campaign without any policy proposals for Methuen's voters to examine?" Manzi asked.
DiNuccio responded that he would establish a handpicked, 10-person "advisory council" to figure out how to "solve the city's problems."
"If that is the beefiest proposal to come out of this campaign, we're all going to be hungry for quite a long time," Manzi said.
Showtimes
Yesterday's debate will air at 5 p.m. today; 11 a.m. tomorrow; 7:30 p.m. Monday; and 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Next round
Manzi and DiNuccio will face off at a Town Hall-style forum at 7:30 tonight at Mann Orchards, 25 Pleasant Valley St. Those who attend the public forum will have the opportunity to ask questions. Watch the show live at eagletribune.com.
