LETTER: 'How Many Misstatements And Misdirections Can There Be?'

FRAMINGHAM, MA—The following was submitted by Jim Divver. Want to get in on the conversation? Send your letters to charlene.arsenault@patch.com.

Dr. Yvonne Spicer obviously has a multitude of accomplishments and talents. Therefore, her pattern of repeatedly inflating and misstating her background and positions is extremely troubling, particularly when she has preached about transparency and honesty.

For six months she has told Framingham, “I am vice president of the Museum of Science” (Brotherhood Breakfast Facebook video at 7:41) with a budget of over $60 million. However, she has a budget of $350,000 and no direct staff in her position as a vice president of advocacy and educational partnership of one of
the programs at the museum, as she admitted when pressed by Metrowest Daily New. Not true. She has claimed “I am an engineer,” yet nothing in her educational background or training supports that. Perhaps misstatements, but how many misstatements and misdirections can there be?

Dr. Spicer was questioned by MWDN about her failure to vote in local elections for more than a decade. Her response was, “it’s incorrect because I have voted in the local elections…since 2016, 2017.” That was not the
question. On Greater Boston (WGBH) when the subject came up, the reporter stated that Spicer “issued a statement that she made a decision in 2016 to reengage in town government." How does one reengage when
one hasn’t been engaged in voting or any other civic matter in Framingham?

As to that reengagement, Spicer was elected to town meeting with 6 write in votes. Her attendance at ways and means meetings is abysmal (65 percent per the clerk). Yet, she has used this to claim governmental
experience, and yes, more budgetary experience, because she (and the rest of the more than 200 members) looked at and evaluated town budget “every year." Yet John Stefanini’s experience in creating and actually
administering the town budget as part of a board of 3 does not count?

Spicer’s further claim to governmental experience is that her position as one of 30 on the STEM Council (not the executive committee) gives her a seat at the state decision-making table (Googled- I have the PDF). Yet, her group only meets twice a year(same) and has never met with the governor (Council minutes).

Now, most recently, right here on Framgov, her communications director, Audrey Hall, has finally admitted that Spicer is NOT “a member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable." Yet Spicer has made that claim on her campaign material and in public.

When is Dr. Spicer going to be “honest and transparent” with the voters of Framingham? When is she going to make herself genuinely available to answer real questions?

This is an historic election on Nov. 7. We deserve better.

Jim Divver

Framingham