Majority votes for Bissonnette’s critics

Date: 11/15/2011

Nov. 16, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE —To say the election results were interesting would be quite an understatement.

Mayor Michael Bissonnette showed strong support from the voters and easily turned back an effort from restaurant owner Gary Lefebvre. Yet Bissonnette’s criticism of City Clerk Keith Rattell and members of the City Council and School Committee —as well as his support for some of the challengers —did not translate into victories for those contenders.

Rattell, who has had a running and public battle with the mayor over the past several months, defeated Erin Biela. School Committee member Adam Lamontagne also turned away his challenger Trina House. Bissonnette recently removed Lamontagne from committee assignments because of unspecified allegations against him.

City councilors who have been consistently challenging the mayor were also brought back into office. Those included frequent critics George Moreau and Timothy McLellan.

This year’s election was marked by much controversy, including:

• Bissonnette’s criticism of Rattell’s work habits;

• Rattell’s accusation that Biela was the mayor’s hand-picked candidate;

• Lamontagne’s efforts to keep House off the ballot because her apartment number was listed as part of the address on nomination papers;

• The removal of the ballot question concerning a four-year mayoral term due to forged signatures;

• And Biela’s use of Rattell’s honeymoon photos from his Facebook page to say he didn’t often come to work.

Despite his critics, Bissonnette did not have an opponent until fairly late in the campaign season when Lefebvre announced he had gathered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot over the course of a single weekend.

A complete political neophyte, Lefebvre said after the election results came in at his headquarters that he had expected to win.

“I thought I had the support of the people behind me,” he explained.

Despite his showing of 3,661 votes to Bissonnette’s 6,056, Lefebvre said his team had done “a damn good job.”

He said his campaign had about “1/20th” of the money that the mayor had and asserted that if he had started earlier he would have done better.

He charged Bissonnette with playing “dirty politics,” and noted the investigation of the forged signatures.

“He has to answer to that. Someone has to answer for that, “Lefebvre said. “He has to get his trust back [from the voters].”

When asked if he would run again for public office, Lefebvre said, “I’m going to keep my eyes open. I’m not shutting that door.”