Record funds spent on mayoral race

Regardless of who wins the city's corner office next Tuesday, this year's race for mayor will go down in the history books as the most expensive on record.

[Answer Please]

Nice report. Glad that we "little people" could help our respective candidate. I have always loved campaign finance reports. For incumbents, it shows who has profited while they were in office, and shows at the same time that if they don't toss a buck in the till and the incumbent wins, they'll suffer the wrath of the incumbent for failure to provide financial support. Thus, failure to support would mean the spigot would be turned off to them.

Also telling is who is supporting a challenger. It's says a lot when people who have sunk their own money into businesses within a city, have worked with an incumbent and found him disinterested or lacking commitment, and then support the challenger.

The only omen that I would read in the tea leaves is what we "little people" (Barrett's words) gave with the challenger's campaign receiving more money from us "little people" than the mayor's.

But you can spend a billion and still lose. As a friend once pointed out to me: "Only in America will you find a politician spending hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars to win a job that pays $140,000."

He had a good point.

[foolish]

uh, they spent 40k, not millions

[Voter]

$14K from a fundraiser in Sommerville?

Tell me again who the North Adams candidate is?

[billsville]

Voter wrote:

$14K from a fundraiser in Sommerville?
Tell me again who the North Adams candidate is?

$20,000 plus from Williamstown, tell me who Bo and company is trying to buy.

[Voter]

billsville wrote:

<quoted text>
$20,000 plus from Williamstown, tell me who Bo and company is trying to buy.

B.S. s

For that to be true, all 40 people who went to a $150/plate fund raiser would have had to contributed the max $500, and the most certainly did not.(Anyways, I'd take a contribution from Williamstown over a contribution from Boston lobbyists and pols any day.)

Your number is a lie being spread by Barrett and his ankle-biters.

Look at the number of North Adams residents who contributed to each campaign. Dick has many more locals. John is in deep trouble.

[FishyFunding]

Peabody and Bowen? Looks like the Williamstown elite will be owning Alcombright. So much for the public school system in North Adams.

[SpartanODST]

Faith an' begora! Thank ye, Mr. Barrett for considerin' what we "little people" have given ye aside from our votes. Sure'n I'm happy that ye be courtin' the Leprecaun vote this time around.

[SpartanODST]

FishyFunding wrote:

Peabody and Bowen? Looks like the Williamstown elite will be owning Alcombright. So much for the public school system in North Adams.

Excuse me, but Joe and Jennifer Thompson are what you call "Williamstown Elite" and Jennifer is VERY involved with the Williamstown Elementary School. Oops! I'm sorry, I forgot. My apologies. They CONTRIBUTED TO BARRETT. Pardon me, but you'd best zip up as your double standard is showing.

[FUNNY]

I wonder why the current Mayor handed in his report 24 hrs after the due in time?!?!?

[Kent]

FUNNY wrote:

I wonder why the current Mayor handed in his report 24 hrs after the due in time?!?!?

It wasn't intended to be late but for accuracy purposes, it was a bit late.Can't fault the mayor for wanting it that way!

[my opinion]

FUNNY wrote:

I wonder why the current Mayor handed in his report 24 hrs after the due in time?!?!?

LMAO!! I was thinking the same thing.... And why was that okay?

[duke]

Answer Please wrote:

Nice report. Glad that we "little people" could help our respective candidate. I have always loved campaign finance reports. For incumbents, it shows who has profited while they were in office, and shows at the same time that if they don't toss a buck in the till and the incumbent wins, they'll suffer the wrath of the incumbent for failure to provide financial support. Thus, failure to support would mean the spigot would be turned off to them.
Also telling is who is supporting a challenger. It's says a lot when people who have sunk their own money into businesses within a city, have worked with an incumbent and found him disinterested or lacking commitment, and then support the challenger.
The only omen that I would read in the tea leaves is what we "little people" (Barrett's words) gave with the challenger's campaign receiving more money from us "little people" than the mayor's.
But you can spend a billion and still lose. As a friend once pointed out to me: "Only in America will you find a politician spending hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars to win a job that pays $140,000."
He had a good point.

I am curious,does the mayor of North Adams make $140,000 a year?! If so,where do you get your figures? Thanks.

[Its the truth and proven]

Looking behind the figures, you will find that Mr.Barrett has had to rely the heaviest from outside monies and that of big business. What he raised locally indicates that his base of support for North Adams residents has eroded and continues to decline. On the other hand Mr. Alcombright has had less reliance on outside sources and it appears that he has many more local people supporting his candidacy. What this may well indicate that North Adams residents both young and old, are seeing the need for change in this community. This feeling is being expressed across the country as people are fed up with what is happening via government and the overall bad economy. North Adams certainly fits the model for this discontent. Beyond a nice looking Main Street the city has accomplished little in terms of broad based economic development and the creation of jobs for it's citizens. If you put the past few years of economic decline aside and examine the 20 plus years that Mr. Barrett has been Mayor, you can easily see that he has done little in providing business growth and opportunity both inside and outside of Main Street. Can we afford two more years of failed leadership which has given us high unemployment, loss of population, loss of our young to other communities, high dependence of State aid and on and on? You have the answer on election day with your vote!

[Bean Counter]

$12,203 in donations under $50 that, by law, dp not have to be itemized on a public report.

How "convenient."

If 100 people gave $49, it would be less than half of that.

Something smells bad about that number.

[tomatoes]

So, Alcombright has Bowen and Peabody donating to his campaign.

Barrett has Nancy Fitzpatrick and the Trainer-Thompsons donating to his.

Same situation. Unless someone can explain how there is a difference?

[tomatoes]

Its the truth and proven wrote:

Looking behind the figures, you will find that Mr.Barrett has had to rely the heaviest from outside monies and that of big business. What he raised locally indicates that his base of support for North Adams residents has eroded and continues to decline. On the other hand Mr. Alcombright has had less reliance on outside sources and it appears that he has many more local people supporting his candidacy. What this may well indicate that North Adams residents both young and old, are seeing the need for change in this community. This feeling is being expressed across the country as people are fed up with what is happening via government and the overall bad economy. North Adams certainly fits the model for this discontent. Beyond a nice looking Main Street the city has accomplished little in terms of broad based economic development and the creation of jobs for it's citizens. If you put the past few years of economic decline aside and examine the 20 plus years that Mr. Barrett has been Mayor, you can easily see that he has done little in providing business growth and opportunity both inside and outside of Main Street. Can we afford two more years of failed leadership which has given us high unemployment, loss of population, loss of our young to other communities, high dependence of State aid and on and on? You have the answer on election day with your vote!

Is the report posted anywhere that we can read it?

[MasDebater]

tomatoes wrote:

<quoted text>
Is the report posted anywhere that we can read it?

Yes it is at the City Clerks office. But by going in to ask to see the report you would have to get off of your lazy ass and actually have to ask in person to see it.

[Helpful Hinter]

duke wrote:

<quoted text>I am curious,does the mayor of North Adams make $140,000 a year?! If so,where do you get your figures? Thanks.

The quote to which this person was referring had nothing to do with how much the mayors get paid, it was about how interesting it is that people will spend so much money to be elected to positions that pay much less than was spent during the campaign.

[be a good neighbor]

billsville wrote:

<quoted text>
$20,000 plus from Williamstown, tell me who Bo and company is trying to buy.

How many of the Somerville people have even been in North Adams? How many North Adams residents work in Somerville compared to Williamstown. Don't go following your leader's preaching that North Adams doesn't need it's neighboring towns. We rely on them as much as they do us.
If you trying to play Williamstown up as a snob town. Average home in Williamstown is $270,000. Somerville is $340,000. North Adams $140,000.
Sounds like you're saying if williamtown residents want to start businesses here that create jobs, bring them on after Alcombright wins, becuase Barrett doesn't want help from Williamstown right now. Barrett didn't have a problem taking money from other developers in town that live much further away. How about that donation from the Porches manager. The commerical tax break paid off.

[gee]

I think the point Answer Please was trying to make was not that the mayor's position pays that much ... but that politicians in this country are willing to spend millions to win a job that doesn't really pay that well (in dollars). The $140,000 is probably around what US congressmen make, for instance. Now ... when you talk about power, influence, and other fun stuff that come with the job, well, that's probably worth millions to them. Look at the humiliation they put themselves through sometimes - with approval and trustworthiness ratings that are worse than used-car salesmen (sorry, car guys). But they do it, because in the end it pays. Has a US senator ever left office poor? I don't think so.