Miceli, Sears Exchange Accusations During Debate At Tewksbury High
From a Tewksbury Hospital land deal to credit for local projects, rivals revealed longstanding animosity.
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If anyone believed Tewksbury Selectman Doug Sears and state Rep. Jim Miceli might be exchanging Christmas cards this holiday season, those thoughts were dispelled after Wednesday night's debate at Tewksbury High School.
The two candidates for the 19th Middlesex District (Tewksbury and Wilmington) seat, traded barbs and accusations throughout the debate, which was sponsored by the Lowell Sun, along with media partners, the Town Crier, Wilmington Patch and Tewksbury Patch.
Miceli, D-Wilmington, displayed the familiar campaign ferocity that has helped him win 18 terms in the State Legislature. But Sears, the GOP challenger making his first run for state office, gave as good as he got and the exchanges prompted several warnings from moderator Tom Zuppa for the men to keep the precedings civil.
Sears, a former member of the Tewksbury Hospital Board of Trustees, blasted Miceli for his role in a proposed land deal in 2001 which would have allowed Tewksbury developer John Sullivan take possession of 19 acres of hospital land to build an apartment complex.
Miceli shot back that he was acting at the behest of the five-member hospital board.
"It had nothing to do with me other than acting on the request of the Board of Trustees," saidd Miceli. "See, the vote was 4-1. He (Sears) opposed it. But I was doing what the board asked me to do. He (Sears) has a hard time with the truth. He's treading on very thin ice questioning my integrity."
For his part, Miceli made an effort to place blame for Tewksbury's high water and sewer rates at the feet of Sears. He pointed out that Sears was on the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen at the time the $100 million project to bring sewer to the entire town was passed. He called the actions of the selectmen in not bringing the project to a ballot vote "sheer skullduggery."
"That (project) was approved by a town meeting vote," replied Sears. "Apparently, he (Miceli) doesn't understand how Town Meeting works."
Ironically, Jerry Selissen, who was chairman of the Tewksbury Board of Selectmen at the time of the sewer project approval, recently endorsed Miceli in a Letter to the Editor.
Sears also accused Miceli of spending more time in Tewksbury than Wilmington because Tewksbury has more voters, a charge Miceli vehemently denied.
One issue the two men did agree on was the protests and appeals by residents that have stalled the new Wilmington High School project. Miceli called the appeals "frivolous" and were costing the town money. Sears said he respected the right of citizens to protest but that it was important for the project to move forward.
When not attacking each other, the two men repeated familiar campaign themes. Miceli touted his record for constituent service and availability to members of the community. He noted his involvement with Tewksbury projects such as the library and the new high school.
Sears said he was running because the economy and the Legislature are broken and need to be fixed.
"My major goals are jobs, the economy and increasing local aid," he said.
The media panel asking questions of the candidates included Lowell Sun Editor Jim Campanini, Town Crier Editor Jayne Miller and Wilmington Patch Editor Matt Schooley.
illegal alien
5:49 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
big turnout for this debate....lots of interest there
Mary
8:33 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
It is not interest, it is the same advertising we receive for Town Meetings. If you don't notify the people there will always be a low turnout.
Mary
7:48 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
I still haven't changed my mind, Representative Jim Miceli for another term!
Douglas W. Sears
8:46 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
A Clarification -- part 1.
In the Wilmington/Tewksbury Patch Debate on 10/24, my opponent, Mr. Miceli, express his understanding of the authorization of an $80 Million bond by the Town of Tewksbury. I shall not speculate as to whether his position is based on his genuine ignorance of the facts, or on a political will to distort them, in either case a correction merits being made here.
Tewksbury had a Sewer Committee chaired by Jerry Selissen, underway for 16 months before I joined the board of Selectmen in April 2002. It held public hearings on 06/05 (attended by 200), 06/20 (attended by 150), 09/12 and 09/26 in advance of the 10/01/02 Special Town Meeting at which a 2/3 Majority (479) was needed to pass Article I which authorized “the Town to borrow funds for the design and construction of sewers in the Town of Tewksbury that do not currently have access to sewer.” The article was adopted 675 Yes; 43 No. Tewksbury residents approved the Article by near record numbers.
Mr. Miceli’s assertion that this authorization needed to go to a Ballot Question is not accurate. Only issues that over-ride Proposition 2 ½ go to the Ballot.
Douglas W. Sears
8:47 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
A Clarification --part 2.
Tewksbury sewer was built in stages. In this stage, an Enterprise fund would pay the interest on the borrowing through user and connection fees. Town Meeting authorized previous stages, whose funding came out of the Town Meeting. On October 1, 2002, the Special Town Meeting needed to vote regardless of which funding vehicle was to be used.
This is because for any project, it is the Town Meeting vote that authorizes borrowing. Selectmen only sign bonding documents after Town Meeting has authorized us to do so. The authorization of Tewksbury’s borrowing the $80,6000,000 specified in the article was voted, and Selectmen Kevin Anderson, John Ryan, Joe Gill and Charlie Coldwell joined me in signing the bonds so authorized.
Douglas W. Sears
8:51 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
A Clarification -- part 3.
Of note, on 09/10/02 the Sewer Committee made its one and only appearance before the Board of Selectmen on my watch, The minutes of that meeting: “Mr. Anderson asked if it passes when does this go to the ballot? Mr. Selissen stated it doesn’t go against Prop 2 ½, so it doesn’t have to go on a ballot. Mr. Gill stated that where this is an enterprise fund, it would not affect the town’s budget.” Town Counsel was present. Mr. Zaroulis would have made comment if the BOS’ was wrong. Town Counsel made no comment.
What is important to mention in closing is that the Legislature recognized the funding of town sewer programs such as ours as a priority, and that to encourage such construction it passed MGH Chapter 29, Section 2Z which authorizes the state to reimburse up to 20% of Tewksbury’s annual debt service obligations. The Legislature has allowed the fund to deplete so that this past FY Tewksbury received only $5000. When I become your Representative one of my highest priorities is to fully fund the DOR’s Sewer Rate Relief Program.
When 675 voters at the October 1, 2002 Special Town Meeting voted for the Sewer Program, they relied on the Legislature to fund 20% of the Annual Cost. Mr. Miceli is being disingenuous to state that it was the BOS, or any one member, that let the voters down.
You know me.
As your legislator I would correct the problem at my end, and not blame my constituents when I fell down on the job!
erin
9:43 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
Omg i can't wait to vote for Mr. miceli and not have to read the rant's of his opponent. it's like a form of assburgers or a 3 year old that needs attention and must get the last word in you are exhausting
Gordon Pickguard
1:39 pm on Friday, October 26, 2012
What you were seeing in Doug's post was his attention to detail. The only detail Jim Miceli ever focused on was being in line with the leadership of the tax and spend Democrats on Beacon Hill. If you think Miceli is bringing home the bacon, guess what, it didn't come cheap and you've been paying for all these years !
Jennifer Nagle
10:53 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
The old saying goes "Politicians and diapers should both be changed often, and both for the same reason". ....just sayin' :)
Bill Gilman
11:31 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
A comment and an associated comment have been removed from the stream. the first for violation of terms of service. The second because it wouldnt have made sense without the first.
Rick M
8:03 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
I live on brown St and am not thrilled about the bridge being rebuilt for selfish reasons. I do think it was a bit comical at the debate watching barbs exchange over credit for the project. I was concerned over one comment from mr sears regarding response times for emergency vehicles...I pray that he doesn't use this bridge opening as an excuse to push to cut the south fire station! Also, since I know mr sears will read this article about him, can you tell me why after all the concerns raised about traffic flow and the risk it opens to pedestrians on this street that connects so many neighborhoods, has the speed limit been RAISED? Please tell me that there is a deeper wisdom behind this, please tell me that is opens us to a grant or some funding that will give us more police patrols or a sidewalk. If it was arbitrarily raised to support the flow of Lowell residents who work in Wilmington, I want to know who is responsible for it.
Douglas Sears
9:21 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013
What do you call someone who pokes his nose into a special interest group's doing collective bargaining negotiations on Town Meeting floor, who urges citizens of a town in which he is not a voter but a tolerated guest to trash the budget their public servants have negotiated over a year, and by his actions sets a precedent for other special interest groups to hijack future time meetings? JIM MICELI.