Newton Mayoral Ad Controversy: Fuller Vs Lennon

NEWTON, MA — Wednesday, Mayoral Candidate Scott Lennon ran a full page advertisement in the Newton TAB print edition and it lead to a heated exchange turning an otherwise quiet election, one in which the differences between what the candidates stood for was hard to pinpoint, upside down. His opponent Ruthanne Fuller claimed he was attacking her and stay-at-home mothers, and Lennon responded that he was honestly just pointing out differences.

"To all the citizens of Newton," the ad, a 10 paragraph open letter, begins. "Many people have asked me over the course of the campaign:'What's the difference between you and your opponent?'" He then goes on to list four bullet point differences.

The first on the list caught at least one person the wrong way.

"I am the only candidate who has continuously held a full-time job for the last twenty years," it reads in bold. He goes on to highlight his job with two state agencies managing a budget. He also noted he was the only candidate with experience leading the City Council, the only candidate who has been a lifelong Democrat, the only candidate who has lived in Newton his entire life, the only one who went to school here and who is sending his child through the school system.

"Those aren't minor differences," reads the letter.

He does not mention opponent Ruthanne Fuller until the end where he notes he has more endorsements than she does.

But by 3 p.m. Fuller sent a press release to media outlets, including Patch, to respond to what she said she saw as a personal attack on her and her role as a mother.

"What leadership is not about is hurling political attacks in the last two weeks of the campaign suggesting a woman’s experience counts for less than a man’s," she said in a statement.

She goes on to say that he disparaged her and minorities "for ‘only’ living here close to 25 years. Notably, this would exclude many people of color who have moved here in the last few decades," she wrote. Though, it should be noted that Lennon does not mention minorities or people of color.

"Like many other women, I’ve had a mix of full-time, part-time and unpaid work experience, all while raising my three children," she said in her statement and in her evening mass email to supporters.

By evening, Lennon issued another statement, he said, to set the record straight on what he'd done.

"I'm very upset," said Lennon in a phone interview Wednesday night, sounding audibly thus.

"People have this whole campaign been asking me what are the differences and we put an ad in the paper and my colleague chose to misinterpret what it is I said. I run a fair campaign and never said a bad word about her," he told Patch.

Lennon has previously pointed out how proud he is that Newton politics is not like national politics, but civil and said he considered Amy Sangiolo and Fuller friends of his.

THURSDAY UPDATE:

Fuller wasn't the only one who reacted forcefully. Some in the community noted Thursday they would switch their vote from Lennon to Fuller for what they perceived was sexism baked into his comments.

Still, some say even if Lennon didn't intentionally mean to put down Fuller, he should have known better.

"Good intentions (or, in this case, the absence of bad intentions) are not enough. In 2017, our next mayor needs to be sensitive to structural gender issues," wrote Sean Roche Thursday for Village14.

Catch up on both statements here:

My Opponent Is Attacking Me: Ruthanne Fuller

Scott Lennon: Setting The Record Straight

Photos by Jenna Fisher/Patch

Note: The Newton Patch is not related to the Newton TAB.