Group Cancels Forum After Salem Incumbent 'Left Us Hanging'

SALEM, MA — The League of Women Voters-Salem said Wednesday it was canceling its candidates forum for the Ward 7 City Council race. The group said incumbent Stephen Dibble did not respond to "numerous requests" to participate. Dibble is being challenged by Andrew Varela in Tuesday's election.

"He did not decline to participate; he simply left us hanging with no indication of when he might give us an answer," the League said in a post on its Website. The group said it had implemented a new policy to only communicate with candidates in writing after Jen Lynch of the League tried to speak with Dibble and Ward 4 City Councilor Tim Flynn on Sept. 26. Flynn declined to participate in the League's forum for the Ward 4 city council candidates.

"(I)in the future, we will only communicate in writing with candidates regarding forums, because verbal communications expose us to too much risk of subsequent mischaracterizations of the exchanges," the League said.

Related: Salem Patch Voter's guide, including candidate profiles of candidates in contested races.

Neither Dibble nor Varela responded to requests from Patch to complete a candidate's profile. The group has held forums throughout the fall where candidates in the contested races could introduce themselves to voters and discuss their positions on the race. The Ward 7 candidates forum had been scheduled for Oct. 22.

Dibble currently serves as president of Salem City Council. He was first elected to Salem City Council in 2015 and reelected in 2017 when he ran unopposed. Previously, Dibble worked in the city planning office.