Salem Mayoral Debate 'Vaccum' Reference Highlights Support Divide: Harrington vs. Pangallo

SALEM, MA — Salem mayoral candidate Neil Harrington's oft-stated reference to the need to fill the leadership "vacuum" in the city in the wake of former mayor and current Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll's departure for Beacon Hill drew a stern response this week from a group of current City Council and School Committee members — who have all endorsed rival candidate Dominick Pangallo — in their claim that the city is running just fine in the run-up to the May 16 special election.

"Neil Harrington again used a phrase that he has employed frequently in the course of his campaign," said the joint statement of five combined current City Councilors and four School Committee members in a letter provided to Patch. "He stated that Salem 'has a leadership vacuum.' As elected officials in this community, who have been engaged in and present for the work of our city, we take great exception to this characterization.

"Salem has an abundance of leadership. Not only elected leaders, but also the many volunteers on our boards and commissions, those who are involved in neighborhood associations, businesses, and other community partners."

Harrington told Patch in response to the letter that the reference in his opening statement of the recent debate involved the voters' important decision to make in choosing the person "best qualified to fill the leadership vacuum created by Mayor Driscoll's departure" and that he doesn't "see how this statement can be construed as having anything to do with members of the City Council or School Committee."

"If any one of them feels unappreciated, I would hope they would contact me directly to express their concerns," he told Patch. "So far, this has not happened."

(Also on Patch: Salem Mayor Debate: Harrington, Pangallo Clash On Traffic, Experience)

The joint statement, which was signed by City Councilors Alice Rose Merkl, Patricia Morsillo, Jeff Cohen, Megan Stott, Andrew Varela and School Committee members Amanda Campbell, Beth Anne Cornell, Mary Manning and Dr. Kristin Pangallo, went on to reference a key difference between the two candidates' pitches for the city's top elected office — Harrington's experience as a former eight-year Salem mayor in the 1990s and his 20 years of experience as a town administrator in Salisbury vs. Pangallo's experience as Driscoll's chief of staff for the past decade.

"We’ve been here for Salem, while Neil Harrington has not," the statement said. "If there's a vacuum in Salem, it's a Neil Harrington vacuum."

While the two candidates have agreed on many issues during both the preliminary and general election debates, one consistent theme of contrast has been the perspective of what's needed in the next municipal leader.

Harrington has stressed his three decades of experience as a chief administrator in both Salem and Salisbury, while Pangallo has pledged to continue many of the initiatives of the 17-year Driscoll administration, which he helped shepherd and implement over her final 10 years in office.

Pangallo has earned the endorsement of Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Driscoll and the majority of the current City Council and School Committee, while Harrington has earned the nod from public safety unions, State Sen. Joan Lovely and has positioned himself as someone who will govern as someone who is most responsive to residents and their perceptions and less reliant on studies, data and government committees.

The full April 26 debate can be seen here on Salem Access Television.

The winner of the May 16 special election will serve the remainder of what would have been Driscoll's fifth term through the end of 2025.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)