August 27, 2013

Democrats debate response to 'persuasive' Alford letter

Former Republican mayoral contender Mary Alford caught the attention of Democrats with a recent letter to theeditor assailing Democratic mayoral hopeful Chris Wilson.
Amy Breakstone, a local doctor, said that Alford’s letter castigating Wilson’s stand on the sale of Memorial Boulevard School was “pretty persuasive.”
Mayor Art Ward, left, with Mary Alford
She said that Wilson ought to rebut Alford’s charges by responding to them.
But Wilson said he can’t counter everything that opponents throw at him “or I’ll be going crazy.”
Breakstone said that if she didn’t know better, “I would have been very persuaded by” Alford’s letter. She told Wilson that “discussing issues is not without merit.”
Wilson said, though, that Alford’s charges are “without merit” and he thinks most readers understand that letters from political operatives are inherently biased.
Former state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said Alford “does well” in zinging political foes, but she shouldn’t get credit for penning the epistles.
“When she writes a letter, it’s because somebody wrote it for her,” Colapietro said.
He said that he agreed with Wilson, however, that answering the letters is a waste of time. He said people who support Wilson should write their own letters touting him instead of making the effort to go head-to-head with Alford.

Update: Alford said nobody puts words in her mouth.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

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