So the two gentlemen left vying for Mayor of Salem ( 3 year term) are Dominic Pangallo and Neil Harrington.
I met Neil on the steps of the Post office and he seemed nice enough. Tall and a bit grumpy. He wouldn’t sign my papers for election but then again he does not live in Salem.
Dominic on the other hand has never given me the time of day. This might be because I was often at odds with Kim Driscoll and many of the things she did since I moved to Salem in 2016.
I have read some really bad things online about Neil from his run ins with coworkers in Salisbury to his being both bigoted and Trans and homophobic. I am pretty sure Salem will not tolerate another Harrington Mayoral
Dominic sits back and counts his money that Kim Drisdol raised for him before she left office, and he in turn campaigns on the coat tails of everything good Kim Driscoll did for Salem.
But what about the bad stuff. The over spending on fireworks, carnival rides, The North street debacle, The Sewer treatment pipe issue, anger, racism, lack of housing, ruining the public school system, raising taxes, Increasing pay for workers at City hall, the list is endless.
I hate to say this but Dominic in my mind is the safer choice for 3 years. Maybe he can clean up the messes Kim Driscoll created or at least a few of them and then we will have another election and hopefully better candidates.
Until then maybe the devil you know is better than the devil that is bigoted, trans and homophobic.
Running for Mayor of Salem, Massachusetts was like a nonstop dental exam. A constant reaching out trying to get answers only to be poked, prodded and probed in return. Salem Massachusetts politics is a dumpster fire and when the pipe on Willows Ave explodes all the planning will become an afterthought. It will be a literal shit show.
Perhaps I dodged a bullet again? I actually asked the man upstairs for a sign if I should be running for mayor and just an hour later, my bed broke in 3 places after 12 years.
People are really friendly in Gloucester and say hello almost always while out walking, people in Salem don’t and almost always appear to be in a hurry and visibly angry all the time. I had one woman curse me out for trying to get signatures because Kim Driscoll had abandoned her after winning again and then trotting off to the state house. I had another woman, an employee of Rockefeller’s flip me off while I was seeking signatures. You cannot renovate class. Then of course are those of you that said you were registered to vote but are not, you guys really suck. You waste your own time bitching, moaning and doing nothing to change your stars. Register to vote! or be happy with the nothing you voted for.
Climate change will swallow up Salem Willows by 2070. If you live there, you better jack up your house if you can. Elevation is the new norm, but how high can you actually go? If you live near the water well, I also hope you have really good insurance.
The Salem, MA schools are still a mess. Don’t believe all the stories you hear about the public school system turning the corner. I met with the Salem Teachers Union, and they are not convinced if body language is any indication. Why are we all so happy about a new high school being bantered about when our public-school accreditation is so egregiously low? Can we all thank the “education” Mayor Driscoll for that? Why are charter schools doing so well?
You cannot solve the affordable housing issues in Salem MA by building recklessly and not including affordable units in the planning stages. People will get further swept away. You should not build on a coastline that could be under water in 20 years unless you are doing so on stilts.
Getting back to my signature debacle, I had 118 signatures of which 24 were labeled NFG. I verified 9 of those NFG signatures but was only given one more signature by powers that be at the City Clerk’s election office. I was 6 signatures short. It was yet another sign. It’s funny that they called me a 4:30pm to tell me that I was short with only a 1/2 hour to go but I’ll let you ask them about that.
Please also, do not vote for Dominic Pangallo, he represents business as usual or Kim Jr as I refer to him. He knows where all the bodies are buried and obviously has pulled out all his hair from covering our former mayors’ tracks. There are also lots of people “invested” in business as usual so question everything Salem.
You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em Know when to walk away, and know when to run You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealing’s done.
Even though I know in my heart I did this with the best intentions there is just too much bad karma floating around City hall in Salem. The need to control the messaging on social media outlets by folks associated with the former Mayor is Palpable. I will be better at this the next time around and I look forward to serving you then Salem.
After hearing back from the Elections department, they only accepted one additional signature of the 9 I submitted, I was still 6 signatures short. After talking with the league of women voters in Salem ( also set up by or for Kim Driscoll) I find my message opportunities at a decisive end for now as a candidate. I do however promise to comment when and where I see fit when I see something that makes me go hmm.
The Bensleygram 