All Pawtucket All The Time

Greetings,

Pawtucket mayoral candidate Don Grebien said he would welcome “open, honest debates on the issues” with any political opponent but said he would not participate in so-called forums by other candidates that are plainly promotional events for their campaign.

Last week, Henry Kinch Jr., in a certified letter to Grebien’s home “invited” Grebien to take part in forums Kinch had already set up for himself at four city public elementary schools throughout the month to take part in the so-called forums “with no special rules.”

“This kind of self-serving political stunt of inviting an opponent to your campaign events and calling it an open forum, including in the local news media, is typical of the old-school politics Pawtucket voters want to get away from,” Grebien said.

“I look forward to having a series of real and substantive mayoral debates like those conducted when I ran two years ago, sponsored by community organizations independent of anyone’s political campaign. That’s the kind of ‘open forum’ I stand for,” Grebien added.

Grebien also noted his own campaign events are not set up in public schools where any added maintenance or other costs would fall directly on taxpayers. He also questioned why he received no communication from the School Department saying it was authorizing the holding of political campaign events by individual candidates on school grounds, if indeed any such approval was ever granted.

Committee To Elect Don Grebien Mayor