An interesting question came up at Bridget Healy's campaign kickoff party, held in the highly acoustic halls of the Packing House on Sunday.
It came from resident Ken Corhan, whose been following Claremont politics for years.
“There were some tense moments with [city] staff, and you were here for some of that. How would you approach being a council member to avoid those kinds of tensions?” he asked.
Healy responded, “I think the current council has done a really good job of alleviating some of those tensions and working together to improve, and I will continue in that vein. I think it's well prudent when we look at the current council that working together and listening to each other is the key.”
I talked to Corhan after he asked the question. He was referring to the tense political environment after the Landrum shooting in 1999 and what appeared to be an unresponsive city staff to the council's and community's concerns.
He said that he was satisfied with Healy's response to his question. “She seemed to answer the question genuinely,” Corhan said.
Healy is in a unique position in this election. As the former assistant city manager in Claremont for 18 years, she is forever linked in many eyes to the previous regime alongside her longtime colleague Glenn Southard, and all the good and bad that came with it.
Her previous role in the city has earned her a strong support base. Among the crowd of supporters at her event were notable Claremont names like Sandy Baldonaldo, Karen Rosenthal, Helaine Goldwater, Ellen Taylor and Hilary LaConte.
But it might also earn her a dose of dissent. I have heard people saying that a vote for Healy would be a step back into to the past and a move in the wrong direction.
Her supporters would say that having Healy on the council is bringing the best from the past into Claremont's future.
It will be up to the voters to decide on March 3. Make sure you're registered.
It came from resident Ken Corhan, whose been following Claremont politics for years.
“There were some tense moments with [city] staff, and you were here for some of that. How would you approach being a council member to avoid those kinds of tensions?” he asked.
Healy responded, “I think the current council has done a really good job of alleviating some of those tensions and working together to improve, and I will continue in that vein. I think it's well prudent when we look at the current council that working together and listening to each other is the key.”
I talked to Corhan after he asked the question. He was referring to the tense political environment after the Landrum shooting in 1999 and what appeared to be an unresponsive city staff to the council's and community's concerns.
He said that he was satisfied with Healy's response to his question. “She seemed to answer the question genuinely,” Corhan said.
Healy is in a unique position in this election. As the former assistant city manager in Claremont for 18 years, she is forever linked in many eyes to the previous regime alongside her longtime colleague Glenn Southard, and all the good and bad that came with it.
Her previous role in the city has earned her a strong support base. Among the crowd of supporters at her event were notable Claremont names like Sandy Baldonaldo, Karen Rosenthal, Helaine Goldwater, Ellen Taylor and Hilary LaConte.
But it might also earn her a dose of dissent. I have heard people saying that a vote for Healy would be a step back into to the past and a move in the wrong direction.
Her supporters would say that having Healy on the council is bringing the best from the past into Claremont's future.
It will be up to the voters to decide on March 3. Make sure you're registered.
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