Testerman showed herself unprepared to be a city councilor

To The Daily Sun,

I must voice my objection to the letter of Sept. 27 by Tony Guinta backing his preferred candidate for the Franklin Ward 2 City Council seat. I had the good fortune to hear both candidates at Monday’s candidate forum, which Mr. Guinta did not attend. At that forum, the candidate he touted showed herself completely unprepared to undertake the role of city councilor.

Let me provide a few quick examples. She demonstrated that she didn’t understand what code enforcement is. She said that homelessness and addiction are the fault of Ronald Reagan, for signing the first no-fault divorce law, implying that all addicts and homeless persons are children of single parent households. She said that the city should not seek a mix of housing types. And with regard to the schools, she said “funding is not our problem,” then went on to suggest that eliminating the superintendent’s office would take care of all the financial issues faced by the district.

While her responses showed a lack of understanding, it is of even greater concern that they showed a lack of preparedness, as the candidates were given the questions in advance. Contrast this to her opponent, Olivia Zink, the incumbent. She had complete, thoughtful answers that showed not just an understanding of the issues but a willingness to seek answers based on facts and not ideology. This did not surprise me, as it mirrored the level of professionalism I have seen from Olivia on the council. She is always prepared. She asks insightful questions. She is a true budget hawk who seeks to ensure that not a single tax dollar is wasted while still trying to meet all the needs of our community.

While I would like to respond to all the inaccuracies in Tony’s letter, I do feel obliged to say I found it very inappropriate that he signed his letter Mayor of Franklin; it was clearly his opinion, not an official position of the city.

Vince Ribas

Franklin

(Editor's note: Mr. Giunta did not sign his letter "Mayor of Franklin," The Daily Sun added that title to make sure readers understood just who was making the endorsement.)