Candidates spar at mayoral debate

Somerville's mayoral candidates swapped dirt about opponents' personal lives and the consistency of their platforms in a debate Monday night.

With two weeks left in the campaign, Alderman Joseph Curtatone also emphasized his plans to end the gridlock of the current administration while businessman Tony LaFuente expressed a desire to overhaul the city with new blood. The debate was moderated by local comedian Jimmy Tingle and will air on Somerville Cable Access today.

LaFuente opened the debate by attacking Curtatone for being part of "good old boy network" at City Hall. Curtatone has served on the Board of Alderman for eight years.

Curtatone, who won 115 more votes than LaFuente in last month's preliminary election, swiped back at his opponent's lack of political experience. "This election is about change, but there is only one of us running that has the experience and a detailed plan," he said.

The debate was filled with personal attacks. Curtatone, a Democrat, criticized LaFuente's history with the Republican Party -- he was a registered member until two years ago, when he became a Democrat -- and for making his primary residence outside of Somerville until two years ago. LaFuente in turn blasted Curtatone for taking out a Wakefield mortgage six years ago, even though Curtatone's campaign played up a life-long residency in the city.

Monday's debate was cast under the cloud of Somerville's perilous financial situation. Cuts in federal and state aid this year cost the city $5 million in lost funding, and the city was forced to cut services and raise taxes to compensate.

LaFuente accused the current administration, including the Board of Alderman, of mismanagement.

"In 2001 and 2002, we spent of all our money instead of planning for the future," LaFuente said. "Now we've used up our reserves and are short."

One option of easing the deficit is to collect money from Tufts, a tax-exempt organization. The candidates agreed that the University should contribute money to the community, but LaFuente stopped short of endorsing a formal payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT).

"We need to establish a business-like, professional relationship with the [Tufts] administration," LaFuente said. He suggested an agreement with the school might include a targeted payment, which would be earmarked for education or another specific cause.

Calling himself a long-time advocate for a PILOT, Curtatone said Tufts' relatively small endowment would prevent the school from making a large payment to the city.

"We want to see how we can make the university grow and help the town at the same time," he said.

Candidates repeatedly mentioned development at Assembly Square as a way to increase revenue, as the project would expand the city's tax base. But both candidates struggled to qualify their views on its development, which Tingle called "the single most important economic issue in the city."

The project has been stalled by divided opinions and LaFuente proposed bringing all sides back to negotiate and meditate problems. He predicted that development would begin in two to three years.

Curtatone blasted LaFuente's proposal and cited figures from City Assessor Richard Brescia which claim that the city loses $5 million every year in potential revenue while the land remains undeveloped.

"How much more will Tony LaFuente cost taxpayers if he becomes mayor?" Curtatone said in a statement.

LaFuente questioned Curtatone's stance on developing Assembly Square and pointed out that he was a member of the Mystic View Task Force, which filed lawsuits to delay construction of large commercial properties at the site.

Both candidates discussed plans to tighten the city's budget and criticized current policies. LaFuente said he will bring in an auditor to eliminate waste in the budget.

If forced to make budget cuts, "we should start cutting at the top," said LaFuente, who condemned the city's decision to eliminate ten percent of the teaching staff in the school system this year. "We need to keep the people who deliver the services employed."

Curtatone plans to control administrative waste by introducing zero-based budgeting, which requires officials to justify programs from the ground up every fiscal year. Every two weeks, city officials would be required to report line-item expenses, which Curtatone said will help to allocate resources effectively.

"We would have performance measures to justify every dollar spent," Curtatone said.

Monday's debate was the third with mayoral candidates, and the first since the elimination of incumbent Dorothy Kelly Gay in the primary election. Candidates answered a mixture of questions posed by Tingle, journalists, and each other. The audience, which comprised city officials, campaign workers, and citizens, was instructed to remain silent during the taping.

Somerville Cable Access will air the debate at 8 p.m. tonight, with reruns appearing several times before the election.