FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Tracey Little
June 8, 2005 508.472.9557

In response to the Kalisz Campaign’s false and misleading letter to the editor published in the Standard-Times on Tuesday, mayoral candidate Matt Morrissey issued the following statement.

“I challenge Mayor Kalisz to begin running a clean and honest campaign based on the issues that matter most to New Bedford citizens: jobs, education, and public safety.
“The June 6 letter to the editor from Mr. Kalisz’s campaign manager contained three major falsehoods that should be officially retracted by the mayor.

“Let me be clear. A decade ago I sat on the UMass Presidential Search Committee, but that committee did NOT hire Bill Bulger as president of UMass as the letter stated. Search committees don’t hire presidents, Boards of Trustees do. The search committee, which also included SouthCoast business leaders such as Bob Karam and AFL-CIO President Bob Haynes, recommended three candidates to the Board. I was a non-voting student member of the UMass Board Trustees at the time. I’d like to point out that Mr. Kalisz appropriately celebrated when Bill Bulger was opening the marine science center on Clark’s Cove and the Star Store Arts Campus downtown.

“Second, I did not receive a “high-paying” job at the UMass President’s Office after graduating from UMass Dartmouth. The campaign ignored the facts. The job paid $24,000. Of several opportunities I had, this was the lowest paying, but I chose a career path in education and public service. I chose to join a team that oversees a $1.2 billion economic and social development enterprise.

“Third, I have never earned $100,000 a year at UMass Dartmouth.
“All of these facts are readily available in the public record, but Mayor Kalisz chose to ignore them. I believe the people of New Bedford expect and deserve better from their leaders.

I know we can do better, and therefore, I call on other concerned citizens to demand that the Kalisz campaign focus on the real concerns of the people of New Bedford, starting today.”

Matthew A. Morrissey