Bristol Democrats talk about 'progressives,' police, pandemic and more

The Bristol Democratic Candidates Forum was held virtually on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 2, and posted online on Thursday.

With six candidates for five spots on the ballot, the Democratic primary for Town Council is the only contested race on Tuesday's Bristol ballot, and this forum will be the only opportunity to see these candidates face off and discuss the issues prior to the primary.

Follow this link to watch the forum in its entirety.

Candidates delivered their opening statements, beginning with Tim Sweeney, followed by Joseph DeMelo, Nathan Calouro, Bethany Sousa Foster, Aaron Ley, and Adam Ramos.

Questions followed, selected from about 30 submitted in advance from the public. The first question was wide ranging: What are the most important issues facing the Bristol Town Council and how will you address them? Answers were as broad as the question, but COVID-19, the town budget, school safety and funding, taxes, services, and business development were all cited as priorities by several candidates. Candidates Ley and Ramos, speaking last and in agreement with the other issues presented, both noted the interconnectedness of the issues and their impacts on each other, for example, how the impact and fallout from the pandemic will be informing decisions facing the Council in the months and years to come.

Most of the following questions elicited fundamental agreement from the candidates. They included:

• Do you support the East Bay Bike Path extension?
• Would you support a significant increase in the senior tax exemption?
• Please share your thoughts on future development in the downtown district.
• How should the Town Council respond to COVID-19 moving forward relating to schools, health, and unemployment?
• How can the town council preserve and promote open space?

Who are the "progressives"?

Only a couple of questions uncovered some significant differences between the candidates, primarily one that read, "The democratic party of today is very different from that of just a generation ago; what are your views on the 'progressive' movement and the role of government ?"

"I appreciate that question," said Adam Ramos, the first candidate who had the opportunity to answer. "I think the role of government is to care for people."

He asserted that, as a Democrat, he believes in the values and platform of the party, but says that "progressive" is used pejoratively, which should not be the case given that the party values include leaving nobody behind, supporting small business and the environment, and protecting seniors.

Bethany Sousa Foster agreed with Mr. Ramos, but took it a step further, suggesting that the idea that the progressive movement is a step to the left is inaccurate.

"It's an interesting question," she said. "I think it's false that (progressives) are more liberal. Both parties moved to the right since the ’70's. I grew up in a union family, and the issues we are fighting for now are the same: better health care and workers' rights."

"We've moved so far to the right, I think progressive brings us back to where we were."

In contrast, Joseph DeMelo disagreed with Mr. Ramos' statement. "(Government is) not here to care for people, it's here to provide services. People can take care of themselves."

Nathan Calouro, the sitting council chairman, suggested sub-categorizing Democrats was not productive.

"I'm a Democrat, and cannot be extreme on one side or another," he said. "People feel like they have to take sides. I believe in respect, respect for my colleagues and the public. I believe moderate is the way. I would not call myself progressive, and that's not a negative thing."

"Government is here to set laws and standards," said Mr. DeMelo. "Should we watch out for people and their goods and services? Absolutely. But government doesn't need to take care of people."

Support for the police

One other topic revealed slightly divergent opinions from the candidates: As the country is seeing riots in the streets impacting residents, businesses, and communities, what's your support for law enforcement?

While all candidates indicated they strongly support the local police department, Mr. DeMelo was opposed to the "defunding" issue, saying "It's unfathomable, to take money away from a public service," while Ms. Foster noted that "defund" is a misnomer and that it's really about finding opportunities to allocate resources to social service departments that could then shoulder some of the burdens currently borne by police officers.

Mr. Calouro noted that several of his fellow candidates mentioned that Bristol is lucky to have the police department we have. He said it's not a matter of luck. "Luck is opportunity meets preparedness," he said. "I'm very supportive of the police ... It's our responsibility to fund them correctly and successfully."

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the East Bay Media Group, the event was moderated by Scott Pickering.