Here's a note that Dean Kilbourne, chairman of the city's Democratic Party, sent out to town committee members after the primary:
On behalf of the Town Committee Officers - we extend our congratulations to Art on his primary victory. We will, as always, unite as Democrats to ensure that Art is the Mayor in November. The officers will be sitting down with Art to see how we can be of assistance to him and the council candidates, and will relay that information to each of you. Thank you, Dean
I also asked Dean today if he had anything he wanted to say about the primary and he sent this along:
Art and I will be getting together over the next few days to discuss how the Town Committee can best be of assistance to him. He will have my full support along with that of the officers and the members of the Town Committee. The democratic voters of Bristol have selected Art as the their standard bearer and we will move on as a UNITED party to a victory in November.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
34 comments:
Don't bet on it. Art's dirty campaign caused a lot of hard feelings for Ellen's supporters. The rift will be there for a long time.
Ditto, Ellen's mudslinging caused a lot of hard feelings amongst the Ward Supporters (and there are obviously a lot more of us). Her backstabbing flunkies aren't going to be trusted. The rift will be there for a very long time.
Art,
You are wanted, no wait, no you're not, oh wait yes you are.
Nothing like a unified DTC.
Guess I'll go for plan B, KJ and his gang.
You have it All Backwards~it was Ellen who had the "Dirty Campaign"(read the papers, this Blog,FOI Complaint and of all the other shenanigan's she and her campaign pulled).
Her supporters are SO Angry that Art won the Primary~It will be Very Difficult to work with any of thse people and you know Ellen will still be behind the scenes telling them what to do and say and they will be telling her about what Art's Supporters say and she will try to put a KABOSH to what Art & His Supporters are trying to do to make Bristol a better for everyone and that also includes Ellen and her Supporters,BUT...WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO IT THROUGH BACKSTABBING EACH OTHER~Citizen's of Bristol(as we ALL are) Do Not Deserve It!
We all make choices in our lives~you can either work Hard & Honest(in life)and for the Democratic Campaign or you can choose to continue down this path of backstabbing /burn your bridges state of mind(in life)and for The Democratic Campaign...What sounds better for Bristol?
They chose Zoppo - they lost - deal with it. Ward really does not need the DTC. I wouldn't trust any of them.
Dirty campaign from Art - more like dirty & negative campaign from Zoppo. Minor trashed Ward every chance he got, and even was behind (rumors) of getting those letters out to make it look as if Ward's campaign was doing it. It all backfired on them. Anyway, the public knows where the dirty campaign came from, and now she is OUT.
Steve, have you talked to Ellen since Tuesday night? I'm wondering what she is planning on doing to offer a smooth transition with the projects she has been working on. It would be disappointing if someone didn't facilitate a positive role in seeing that the hard work she has done doesn't get dropped.
I did not detect an ounce of accountability in Dean's comments. There needs to be some serious reflection on how the DTC endorses a candidate by a 40 to 18 margin and then loses. And while the margin of victory was not huge, to make matters worse, the endorsed candidate does not carry one precinct. The first few posters are correct. The subsequent ones make it clear that the hard feelings are still in place and will be for a long time. The vitriol of this primary was nothing less than amazing and continues as evidenced by the last few posts. I am sure there are lessons to be learned here but I don't think anyone wants to seek them out.
I didn't get a chance to talk to Ellen at the council meeting because she came in late and left quickly. But I'm sure she'll try to make a smooth transition everywhere she can.
The DTC is being told to come together and support Art in his campaign because he won the election. And Art's supporters are telling the DTC that they don't want their support??? That's really mature. And exactly what kind of back-stabbing did Ellen supporters do? They certainly didn't spend all their time on this blog trashing Art like his supporters did to Ellen!
I don't recall Art or any of his supporters saying that they don't want the DTC's help. Actually just the opposite. They have made it clear that if there are DTC members that would like to help with Art's campaign, they are welcome to. Ward's Camp has also made it clear that it is no longer just Art's campaign but the entire Democratic Team.
They are putting the Primary campaign pains behind them. Everyone else should too.
In my opinion, if Art is smart, he will try and keep his distance from the DTC until after the elections. You are right, he does not need them now, especially Minor and McCauley who are looking for a new coat tail to ride in on. Look what their suppost did for Ellen. Rank and file, non-party insider Dems, are really angry and frustrated at the games the inner circle Dems play with people's careers and lives. I've said it before and I'll say it again.....the DTC should be ashamed of itself as a governing body for what they did to Art. Where was their loyalty to all his years of working with the Dems. It is time for 40 people on the DTC to resign for bad judgement and dirty politics starting at the top.
Ward's supporters are not immature (and you say Zoppo's crowd doesn't stoop to trashing?). They don't trust Ellen's cronies because of their complicity in Ellen's duplicity and deceit. For one example of the backstabbing, please refer to Craig Minor's comments on congratulating Mr. Ward.
Dean is correct. The facts are that over the last 30 years the Democrats have always united with the endorsed slate. One of the differances between Democrats and Republicans is they know and accept that the real election starts after the primary. So grow up and get on with it. Spend your time promoting the Democratic Slate or the Republicans will slip in.
Hey Dems how's that "unity" thing working out so far?
You think that anyone on the DTC who supported Ellen is automatically deceitful, evil, and bad for the city? Nice.
Some people supported Ellen because they genuinely thought she would do a better job than Ward. For you or anyone to suggest that such people ought to be drummed out of the DTC is just stupid.
The DTC members that want to see the Mayor's seat remain with the democrats will support Art. Those that don't want Art in the Mayor's seat will step aside and let everyone else help with the campaign. Then they should resign from the DTC.
No one said that "anyone on the DTC who supported Ellen is deceitful, evil and bad." That would be stupid. Everyone has a right to their opinion. The point is that there are a certain few individuals who went way above and beyond. If they cannot support Art, they should resign.
I just received word of the conflicting opinions on the matter of the unification of the Democratic factions in seeking success in the upcoming election.
Let me be very clear on this issue - I and everyone else who contributed to the success of the Ward for Mayor 2007 Primary bid, will join together with all members of the Bristol Democratic Party in seeking a Democratic victory in November.
Art Ward - Democrat
Bristol Mayoral Candidate
There is an old axiom,"one can NOT change history,but one CAN alter the future." The primary is over.All that is relevant or important now is winning in Nov.I am sure that Art and the Council incumbents and candidates fully understand that nursing any old gripes and/or divisevness only serves to undermine that endeavor.Give them a LITTLE credit.
anon 2:17 poster: read previous comments closely and you will see this:
"It is time for 40 people on the DTC to resign for bad judgement and dirty politics starting at the top."
That is plain wrong and stupid to even suggest it. I don't doubt some of them went over the top, but some of Ward's people went over the top too.
This party unity thing is getting old. People should evaluate who is the best candidate on their own positions, accomplishments, and experience regardless of which party they belong to.
It is obvious that there were two completely different philosophies and belief systems within the Democratic Party. I don't believe the losing group would be willing to cast aside their beliefs just for the good of the "party". If they do, then people really should question whether they are trustworthy.
The mudslinging on both sides was ridiculous. Bristol voters deserve better. Both AW and EZ are responsible for the current state of the mall. They were both on the council when the mall was purchased and the Job Lot situation should have been addressed before they agreed to buy it. Going forward, I hope AW and KJ have several debates and present concrete plans, benchmarks and a timetable for resolving this. Addressing those kinds of issues with specificty will determine my vote.
HI EVERYBODY,
Does anybody out there believe that ELLEN ZOPPO BEING ELLEN ZOPPO is what cost her the election? Try to construct a list of all the good people that she has maligned the past years and you will be occupied for a long time. That and that only is what finally caught up to her and doomed her political future in this community. Bristol people do not forget they may forgive but they will NEVER FORGET what she did to so many.
Our "belief" was that Ellen would do a better job as mayor than Art would, not that he is a bad person. We still think so, but it ain't gonna happen, so we will now rally behind Art and make sure he gets elected. Why are you people so bitter and worked up about this? It was just a primary. Art won; now we move on.
Mr. Ward is a class act and he's absolutely right...it's time to move for-WARD.
"Both AW and EZ are responsible for the current state of the mall...the Job Lot situation should have been addressed before they agreed to buy it."
What exactly do you mean by "addressed"? That's just a euphemism for "er, uh, you know, like, DO something". Do you mean kick them out? That has taken three years, and we couldn't even START to kick them out until we bought the property. Do you mean offer them half a million dollars (the Stortz Plan) to get out back when we bought it? Why should we, when we clearly had the right to evict them under the terms of the lease (as proven by the UNANIMOUS Supereme Court ruling). How about doing a little research before you make accusations?
I find it appalling that anyone would think Minor and McCauley can't think for themselves. I also find it interesting that Nicastro is left out of that equation along with Rimcoski, because ALL of them stuck together during the last two years and it was to help improve this city ... not to hinder it. These gentlemen have minds of their own. Just look at their voting records instead of empty opinions with no substance to back them up. Don't forget that McCauley is in the second district with Zoppo. Of course they have to work together and did a damn good job of it. They were also on quite a few committees together that the MAYOR put them on and did what was expected of them in each of those committees whether you agreed with what was done or not. If you see how they voted, you will find that each one of them voted differently on different issues. They voted their consciences and they weren't influenced by cronies. Check their voting records instead of making up things just to attempt to make them look bad. The last thing we need is more rumor and inuendo and frankly, it's getting old and tiring. Let's stick to the facts this time around.
It's disgusting how people are still trashing Ellen on this blog. Enough is enough! Let's move on. I also do believe that Ellen's supporters can be trusted, because they didn't do the mudslinging and they are willing to put the past behind them to move for-Ward. Please show us one bit of info where mudslinging occurred with regard to Zoppo's supporters? There were no anonymous letters from two and three years ago given to Collins in an attempt to hurt Ward. There were no Zoppo supporters running around in the dead of night stealing multitudes of Ward signs. Ward has stepped up to the plate and extended the hand of leadership and cooperation unlike those of you who continue to hang on to your nasty comments about Zoppo. For God's sake, the election was only two days ago. Give the DTC and Ward camp time to absorb all that has happened. These things don't occur overnight. Dean did what was right and has opened dialogue with the people's chosen candidate instead of hanging on to old grudges and rifts. That is clearly what the Republican party wants. I wouldn't be surprised if the comment about Zoppo's backstabbing flunkies was a Republican comment to perpetuate the rift. Come on, Democrats, let's show them what we're really made of and come out in FULL FORCE ... TOGETHER!!!
To the responder of the post regarding the current state of the mall - my point was more about acountability than accusations. If the council knew that Job Lot would put up a protracted legal battle that would take 3 years to work its way through the court system, would they have still voted to purchase the mall? There should have been a contingency for this. Whose fault is that? This is the view of many people in Bristol.
It's Kosta and Bill Hamzy's fault, they mislead a lot of people.
DTC chair needs to go! Maybe then he can find his family jewels, which are needed in that position.
This vote the party no matter what mantra is scary! Ellen supporters and Art supporters had little in common philosophically. Would someone knowingly vote for a party candidate who is bad for the job over an opposing candidate from another party who is good for the job simply because the bad candidate is a member of the same party?
If this is true then there is little hope for the future of democracy.
The democratic party chair calls for unity, where was he throughout the primary. He never confronted any issues in the DTC just let everything slip by. Why was he not in sight during the parade with all the dems who worked so hard for EZ. Some people do not even know what he looks like. I thing its about time the DTC replace hime with someone who has a strong back-bone not someone like him who is useless
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