Lungo-Koehn, Falco Trade Barbs At Medford Mayoral Debate

MEDFORD, MA — Medford's mayoral debate turned contentious at times, as candidates fielded attacks from each other and jeers from the crowd at the Chevalier Theatre.

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and her challenger, City Councilor John Falco, tackled issues ranging from climate change and diversity, to schools and infrastructure, at the Oct. 13 debate.

Where they were able to find common ground – both supported revitalizing Medford Square, for example – the candidates hit each other over their voting records and past comments that ran incongruent to their current positions.

Lungo-Koehn kicked off the night by highlighting her administration's response to the pandemic, including bringing students back to in-person classes ahead of other communities, helping small businesses through grants and expanded outdoor dining options and sponsoring vaccine clinics for residents.

At issue for much of the debate was the city's use of $48 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. Lungo-Koehn said $8.6 million has already been spent and will help accrue lost revenue in future city budgets, while Falco accused the mayor of lagging behind Medford's neighbors in coming up with a plan to allocate that funding.

Falco also hammered the mayor over recent controversies at City Hall, including hostile work environment complaints filed by former chief financial officer Aleesha Nunley Benjamin and Veterans Services Director Michael Durham.

Nunley Benjamin left her role in July, leaving the city without a finance director for the past three months, which Falco tied to lost revenue for the city. He reiterated throughout the debate that without Nunley Benjamin's guidance, the city would struggle to allocate its ARPA funding and continue to miss out on potential revenue from 40B developments, marijuana businesses and other permits, coming to a figure of $11 million.

"[This is] a once in a generation opportunity to really come out of this pandemic stronger than ever," Falco said. "There needs to be a process and there needs to be a plan. [There's] $48m, no plan, no chief financial officer to help us through this process."

He emphasized that a finance director could help the city obtain a loan from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a new Medford High School, a project both candidates said they want to prioritize.

Being without Nunley Benjamin is "slowing down numerous financial decisions that need to be made by this community," Falco said.

Lungo-Koehn defended herself against allegations of a hostile work environment at City Hall, denying that she said a white man should present the budget to the city council instead of Nunley Benjamin.

"I never said a white male should present the budget over Aleesha. Never, ever, ever," the mayor said. "What I did say was something I probably shouldn't have, but I pointed out that the outside auditor that the council took to happened to be a white male."

However, she remained mum on the events that preceded Veterans Services Director Michael Durham being placed on leave in September. Durham, who claimed he was not properly compensated, that veterans were being discriminated against and that he faced retaliation for bringing those issues to light, was reinstated Monday after undergoing a psychological evaluation.

"Our veterans' director is a good director," Lungo-Koehn said. "Something happened, we are handling it, he can say what he wants, but I'm going to respect his privacy."

The conversation at times hinted at a rift between the administration and the city council, with both candidates pointing the finger at each other as facilitating a combative environment.

"I think sometimes the hostile work environment is on Tuesdays from 7-10," the mayor said. "And I'm not talking about the whole council, there are a select few who have been really hard on our department heads."

Falco later replied, "The City Hall that you work in is different from the one that I visit. I see a lot of people that cry out for help."

But the candidates did agree on several issues, including improving schools, infrastructure and public transit, addressing diversity among municipal employees, implementing more affordable housing, emphasizing Medford's historical and cultural heritage and preparing the city for the effects of climate change.

Where they differed was on how to accomplish many of those tasks.

On issues of diversity and climate change, Lungo-Koehn pointed out how she tried to integrate the office of diversity, equity and inclusion into the human resources department, a process that she said the city council stalled, and merged the offices of energy and environment and community development.

"We are not there yet, but we've made great strides [on diversity]," the mayor said.

In addition to creating a multilingual resource line, she said she collaborated with Police Chief Jack Buckley and Human Resources Director Neil Osborne to break down the language barrier some residents experience when officers respond to their homes.

"[We] requested that those who speak a second language could be moved up the non-veteran resident list," she said. "We did not get that approved."

She also clarified a point on which she had been repeatedly criticized when it came to the police hiring process: "We were not skipping veterans."

The mayor emphasized the importance of community development in implementing the city's climate change plan.

"Now [director Alicia Hunt] is at the table every time we meet with a developer or business owner that wants to expand," she said. "We're asking about solar, Bluebikes stations, sustainability."

Medford has taken additional steps to address climate change, including doubling electric vehicle charging stations in municipal and school lots, signed a composting agreement to offer residents a discounted rate, allocated grants toward planting trees in parks and moderate-income neighborhoods and received a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant to create resiliency hubs for flooding, the mayor said.

But Falco disagreed with consolidating departments, particularly on issues like diversity and climate change.

"When you're combining offices, that means you're going backwards in my eyes," Falco said. He highlighted his own record on climate change, including leading the effort to ban plastic bags and being one of the first advocates for municipal aggregation.

Falco said he if he was elected, he would focus on converting city vehicles to electric vehicles, install solar panels on buildings, improve sewer infrastructure and prepare for flooding from the Mystic River. He pointed out that when the mayor was on the council, she voted against a bond to examine the sewer infrastructure's sustainability.

"I've supported every pro-environmental issue that's come before me," Falco said.

Throughout the debate, both candidates drew applause and boos from the crowd, but the loudest jeers came during the closing statements, when Lungo-Koehn tried to distinguish between her brand of politics and what she called the "old boys' network" embraced by Falco.

"This is not the first time a man has talked down to me, and my accomplishments, and I'm sure it won't be the last," she said, as the audience booed. "And I'm sure there isn't a woman in here who hasn't been treated that way. And, frankly, that says more about Mr. Falco's character than mine."