Newton Gun Group Accused Of Using Cause For 'Political Leverage'

Newton MA

01 October, 2021

12:31 PM

Description

NEWTON, MA — A local gun control group is getting heat for what residents say is using an important cause to gain "political leverage" in the upcoming Nov. 2 municipal election. Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative (NGVPC), formed in the spring under the name Stop Gun Stores in Newton to prevent the proliferation of guns in the community by helping to pass zoning ordinance 145-21, is accused of using a "sham endorsement process" for the contested School Committee race between Shawn Fitzgibbons and Paul Levy. 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. Although the group said all candidates were held to the same standards and there was a blind endorsement process in case any of NGVCP's leaders disagreed with the decision, many community members are calling it a serious conflict of interest and deceptive campaign tactic. "This issue of gun safety and gun violence is a critically important issue because our most important obligation is to protect our children and the teachers and other staff in the school," said Levy. "To me, the idea that anyone would politicize it in a misleading way is tremendously disappointing and saddening." Levy also said it feels as though his opponent is misleading the public about one of the few issues Newtonians generally agree on and portraying it in a divisive way is "a disservice to the community." "Even if they are holding people to the same standards, that statement is colored by the close personal connection of people evaluating the answers to one candidate," he said. "There's nothing unusual about a group endorsing a candidate, but it is very unusual and perhaps unethical for a group to endorse a candidate whose spouse and Campaign Manager are two of the six leaders of the group," said Matt Hills, former Vice Chair of the Newton School Committee and a current member of the state Board of Education. "That the significant conflict wasn't disclosed is problematic enough, but it's also flat-out wrong and places a cloud over the entire endorsement process." 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." In addition, he argued that only two of the group's leaders are connected to him and the endorsement was unanimous. "Any notion at all all that this is some effort that this is to promote my school campaign doesn't align with the reality," he said. "A person should look at the questions that were asked of candidates and the answers to those questions are clear. On the issues, my answers of what a School Committee member can do to protect people from guns were the most detailed and forward-thinking." "My track record on this is much stronger than my opponent's and in a contested election people are trying to discredit the endorsement because they don't like it," he continued. The NGVCP also said they considered not endorsing any candidates, but decided to move forward with it because voting is critical to making progress with gun control. The group also said even though most residents are on the same side of this issue, there are different perspectives on how to get things done, one example being the divide between those who advocate for a complete ban and those who would rather take the NGVCP's zoning approach. "We are a new organization, but we looked at what other Newton groups have done for endorsements," said Laura Towvim, one of the other NGVCP leaders. "There is no secret that Kate is married to Shawn. It's out in the public and it's on our documents. There is nothing untoward happening here." "There are some rumors that are just not true," she continued. "That is frustrating to us."