A story by Annie Sandoli in the Newton Patch reports that Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative has come under criticism for its recent political endorsements for the upcoming Newton municipal elections. One of those endorsements was for School Committee candidate Shawn Fitzgibbons.
“According to the claims, NGVCP, which endorsed Fitzgibbons earlier this week, did not disclose the full truth that the candidate was involved in the group’s founding and the fact that his wife, Kate Wissel, and campaign manager, Emily Murphy, remain two of NGVCP’s six leaders. “
“In response to the claims, Fitzgibbons said it has never been a secret that he is connected to NGVCP and the endorsement list did have a disclaimer that reads, ‘Shawn Fitzgibbons was instrumental in the foundation of Stop Gun Stores in Newton and has close ties to individuals in the leadership of NGVPC.’ “
Good for Patch for covering this.
Not sure I understand why a gun violence group felt a need to endorse for school committee anyway. Would have been cleaner if they followed the lead of VVN, Right Size and others who only endorsed for city council and, for Right Size, mayor.
It feels like they endorsed candidates based on their perceived “progressiveness” along Newton’s strange, development-centric political spectrum. Are there really any discernible differences between the candidates with regard to gun policy?
@Greg Reibman – Really? A gvp group has no business in schools? Where else is gun violence prevention more important? Why don’t you ask the families if Sandyhook, Parkland or Columbine if schools have nothing to do with gun violence prevention.
NGVPC has one goal – preventing gun violence in Newton and surrounding communities. We support candidates who we KNOW will make gvp a priority. That’s the whole point of endorsements and we stand behind every one of ours.
http://www.newtongunviolenceprevention.org
Greg – NGVP states on their published endorsement form that “The candidates we chose to endorse also acknowledge the need for a holistic approach to GVP, including criminal justice reform, equal access to education, affordable housing, mental health services and social support systems.”
Whether our Newton schools should be battlegrounds for national political issues, and therefore School Committee elections should be referendums on where one sits on those issues, is an open question for the future of NPS, and is a debate that will be had in the coming weeks.
That’s great, now can Village 14 start allowing an honest discussion of Paul Levy’s past behavior, including but not limited to:
https://www.boston.com/culture/health/2013/02/06/doctor-gets-7m-in-gender-bias-suit/
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59146994add7b049342da966
They lost all credibility by chosing Cote over Malakie.
I have no problem with them endorsing school committee candidates, but they initially failed to disclose Kate’s ties to Shawn until they were called out on it.
When this group….along with Engine 5, Green Newton, Vibrant Newton….Newton du Jour…all endorse the the EXACT SAME CANDIDATES, makes one wonder how impartial these endorsement processes really are.
It must have pained the Gun Moms deeply not to be able able to endorse Mayor Fuller.
Like it or not…believe it or not…there is a political elite here in Newton. And it would be great to see some actual checks and balances in who manages our tax dollars.
I’m truly perplexed by the multiple assertions that a gun violence prevention group is not in a position to endorse candidates for School Committee. In fact, the role of schools in gun violence prevention can not be overstated.
School safety goes well beyond physical building security or any one approach – it must include coordinated services, identifying and addressing students’ mental health needs, suicide prevention programming, education for parents and students, implementing best practices, and strong, effective partnerships with city leadership (yes, including School Committee).
This is not making our schools battlegrounds for national issues. It is recognizing the reality that school and community violence is multifaceted and requires a thoughtful, comprehensive response. Newton is not immune to gun violence and we need leaders who will champion this issue in all its complexity.
This again? I thought this was already hashed out on the development endorsements thread. Seems like some Paul Levy supporters were unhappy with these endorsements.
@Matt Lai, consider for a moment that these groups endorsed the same candidates because they hold shared values and not that there is some political cabal at work.
@matt lai
Just the fact that you are calling us “gun moms” speaks to the insidious misogyny in Newton politics – we “moms” should know our place? We’re done with that.
Here’s who to vote for if you agree:
Ward 1 – Alison Leary
Ward 3 – Andrea Kelley and Meryl Kessler
Ward 5 – Deb Crossley and Andreae Downs
Ward 6 – Alicia Bowman and Victoria Danberg
Ward Councilors
Ward 1 – Maria Scibelli Greenberg
Ward 3 – Jim Cote
Ward 5 – Bill Humphrey
Ward 6 – Brenda Noel
School Committee
Ward 6 – Shawn Fitzgibbons
Ward 7 – Kathy Shields
@Masked Mama, would love to believe “shared values” is the reason, but a couple of points would contradict:
1. I can see how NGVP cannot with any credibility endorse Mayor Fuller after making a big issue of not disclosing knowledge of a planned gun store more quickly, but how disingenuous is it to then NOT endorse Amy Sangiolo when they’ve endorsed every other race in the City? A non-endorsement as a soft endorsement.
2. How is anyone running for School Committee NOT against gun violence? Is anyone asking for teachers to be armed? Paul could have the cure for Covid and not have received the endorsement over husband Sean. City Councilors know to step aside when a matter to be voted has even a hint of conflict or impropriety. NGVP should have skipped endorsing Ward 6 SC as they did Mayor.
In the original email that I saw about NGVP I did not see the disclosure about Shawn.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JF_h6klHAf-o0RLed4iVCxRFPHuFEm3ha4AlBu7j1NY/edit?fbclid=IwAR1enVVp_ozaiaOeCUS77NlRDl78IX8T9adq_nQxlR2KoFVXwrhHog2fXH0
I was not familiar with this group and their website does not give any clear info on who is behind the group. I had to look to see the admin for the private Facebook group to get an idea of who is involved. I don’t think most people would be aware that his wife KW was involved without knowing who they both are.
Shawn would have been better off not having this endorsement but rather stating his involvement in founding the group and stating how he as a SC member intends to enact policies/programs to enable their mission
It isn’t an endorsement that is important (although the clear conflict of interest does tell you something about the ethics of one of the candidates), it is what the candidates actually say and have done. I was impressed with what Paul Levy said in the questionnaire that is on the anti-gun group’s website:
“As the person with ultimate responsibility for ensuring the safety of our hospital staff from the dangers of gun violence, I have specific experience as to the security and and safety steps that can be in institutional settings like schools and hospitals. I’ll bring that experience to bear in Newton working in close cooperation with all of our City and School leaders as well as the Newton Police Department.”
We need some adults with real life experience and a proven track record to serve on the school committee.
@Masked Mama consider for a moment that these groups endorsed the same candidates because they hold the shared value of enriching their developer patrons.
Korff and company submitted their bid to city hall to develop the Armory last week. his opportunity to build a 40B in Newton.
Any bets on them not winning that job?
Oops. Wrong thread.
Tower Tommy –
Every possible security and safety measure was put in place in every school well over 10 years ago. That’s not an issue at this point in time.
NPS has programs for suicide prevention, keeping children safe from strangers outside of school, bullying in and out of school. When it comes to gun safety, the sum total of what we teach very young children is to crouch in the corner of a darkened room in silence. We can and need to do better.
Jerry
thanks for exposing this dirty laundry.. It could be settled with an apology from the group but If there is no apology from NGVPC that would speak volumes about the ethics of this organization (even if everyone agreed with their mission)
I think there won’t be an apology. The group keeps doubling down on their decision.
Read the questionnaires. There is no comparison in the answers to one question: “What role can the School Committee play in reducing the threat of gun violence in our community and, if elected, how would you incorporate gun violence prevention initiatives in the work of the school committee?” The city council was asked a comparable question.
Of all the candidates’ responses to this question, one stood above the others, and that was Shawn’s, with Kathy Shields a definite close second. If you want to live in a bubble and think this issue isn’t a concern in Newton schools, that’s certainly your right. But to those who work in the schools, the potential for a dangerous situation lurks and the fear of such an incident wears on everyone.
I agree that the group absolutely has a place in school committee endorsements. I just think this group has had an unscrupulous process. The lack of transparency with the endorsement of Shawn is one thing but REALLY I think we should all be questioning this group’s endorsement of a staunch Republican over Malakie. I think it’s development related under the guise of being gun related – why else not endorse Julia? I’m not even a huge Julia Malakie supporter.
I agree with jane that Shawn’s answer was the most robust of the crew
Julia Malakie was pro-ban. That group could not have been more clear that they think a ban is a horrible idea. No, Jim is not the poster child for the gun control movement, but on this issue he’s aligned with them. Again, read the responses.
Then maybe they should have sat that one out instead of deciding to endorse a Republican. From a gun control perspective it makes zero sense that they are backing him.
I think whatever that group did or did not do, the other side would find a reason that their endorsements were not “valid” (read: not the outcome they wanted). The ban folks can pretend they are more anti gun and suggest all sorts of naive solutions all they want – this group saw right through it. Good for them. Over and out.
Most Democrats want America to be a Socialist nation according to Gallup Polls ..big mommy government meddling into every aspect of life .. Tax, Fee, Restrict, and Censor ..
chipping away at our rights https://news.gallup.com/poll/240725/democrats-positive-socialism-capitalism.aspx
In unsurprising news, this group endorsed Fuller. So among their endorsements are a mayor who hid her knowledge about a gun store, a proud Republican, and Shawn Fitzgibbons – who is a fine candidate but the group chose to initially not disclose his ties with the group’s founder.
Would love clarification from anyone truly on why this group supported fuller? Wasn’t she the reason this group needed to form? This just doesn’t make sense nor does it look good for the group as a whole.
Desperately seeking relevance…
@Newtonzillenial: did you read the responses to their questionnaire? Amy’s were focused on Fuller, Fuller was focused on the issues. Hard to see why they’d even consider Amy with those answers.
@Bill Ells I did, with Amy’s responses and Fuller being the reason for the mess this past spring, they should have sat this one out as they should have sat out on the Shawn/Paul school committee race. Clearly there’s an underlying motive here and it’s really disappointing.
Bill Ells, that’s just completely not true. She brought up Fuller which is appropriate but it was not the focus of her answers at all.
@MMQC, here is the campaign’s initial statement regarding this nonsensical endorsement: https://sangiolo.org/newton-mayor-conceals-gun-store-opening-yet-receives-endorsement-from-anti-gun-group/
Wow, this this is such horse (poop). So is Stop Newton Guns and anyone directly affiliated with them. Speechless.
I really don’t understand Amy’s campaign’s reaction on this. It is just amplifying the endorsement.
Yeah, I’m baffled and frustrated by the gun groups endorsement, but I’m not sure that statement is the right move…
@Lauren Berman: if that is the initial statement, then I’m hoping for a follow up. Doesn’t seem like the best look to go after a group of community activists who rallied to support our community. Nor is it a good idea to wade into the “many people are saying” trope. I’m sure many members of NGVPC are happy that leadership has decided to back Fuller.
@Bill Ells – That is simply not true. The folks I know left that sham group shortly after it was formed, rather disgusted, when we realized we were simply being used as a tool (by the CC’s) to manipulate public opinion (and to build a mailing list for one of the leader’s spouse’s political campaign). The group actively censored dissenting views, used deplorable tactics to influence our legislators, and encouraged all sorts of other unethical behavior.
Bravo to Amy Sangiolo for bringing this out into the political discourse!
@Lisa. I see a group of smart, capable activist women who worked their butts off to to stop a gun store. They organized, rallied, and pressured the city council to adopt a clear, well researched policy position which they explained (repeatedly) and advanced. Seems like amazing and effective advocacy.
I agree with Bill Ells – Team Sangiolo’s attacks on citizen activists reflects poorly on her and make her look petty and unable to handle opposing viewpoints. Not the type of person I want leading our city.
@Masked Mama so you’d rather someone who almost let a gun store open in our city, and who didn’t inform the city council about it be leading it? Big no from me. While I don’t fully agree with Amy’s statement, she’s more transparent than the mayor ever will be.
@Masked Mama while I do not completely agree with Amy’s response to the endorsement, I’d much rather have her who’s been much more transparent with the community than Ruthanne who kept this for weeks from the community and city council.
Yeah, I’m an Amy supporter who doesn’t think that press release was a great idea, but Fuller botched the gun store thing big-time and then was subsequently dishonest about it. The group could have abstained from endorsing for mayor if they disagreed with Amy’s tactics but let’s face it – the group may not have been necessary if Fuller had been transparent from the get go. So the group that was formed because of Fullers failure to act? Makes no sense. I’m grateful for the group and what they did, but this endorsement is bizarre.
I don’t get why people are so confused by this endorsement. This group thinks a ban is dangerous. Sangiolo supported a ban. They prefer a mayor who does the right thing in the end to one that would put us down a dangerous and ill-advised path. That’s it. Read their statement.
My point is why not sit out the endorsement if they disagreed with Amy’s methods?? Fuller’s lack of transparency is what caused the group to exist in the first place. She does not deserve an endorsement.
You’re clearly one of the admins of the group, MaskedMama, so please enlighten.
Of course you are correct MMQC.
Masked Mama or Kate/Emily – I don’t recall Amy Sangiolo saying that she was in support of a gun ban in Newton. I also checked her response to your questionnaire and no mention of a ban is there either. Is this another example of you fabricating information?
MMQC: Honored that you would think that, but some people simply stand up for what they think is right even if they aren’t the ones being targeted. Clearly there is no explanation that will satisfy you, so we’ll have to leave it there.
I could be satisfied by a good explanation, but I don’t think there is a reasonable explanation.
MMQC: Look no further than Hanlon’s Razor for an explanation.
@Lisa – didn’t you say you left the FB group early on? If so, you missed AMS’ many pro-ban posts. They’re all there if you would like to re-join to read them.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/newtongunviolenceprevention.org/?ref=share
@MaskedMama – I am also honored that she thinks you are me. YOU ROCK! Let’s get a drink some time!