With Months To Go, Political Attacks Are in Full Gear

Election day is three months away, but that has not stopped candidates and residents from rallying support both for and against candidates for Attleboro City Council. 

A long-time feud between Attleboro City Councilor Kimberly Allard and former state Rep. Bill Bowles has spiraled into an e-mail feud between the current and former politicians.

Not only have the two publicly disagreed on issues pertaining to the City of Attleboro, but the two have also disagreed about the well-being of Bristol Probate Court Judge Edward F. Casey's life; Bowles as a conservator (in charge of his financial) and Allard as his health care proxy. 

Allard is alleging that Bowles harassed her and threatened her after she put a sign in support of his opponent on her front lawn. She claims she received a verbal threat last summer from Bowles, which said that if she supported candidate George Ross in his race for state representative (last year), he would repay the favor some day when she seeks reelection.

The same threat was made in an e-mail communication to Allard which stated: "If you recall last summer, I told you if you got involved in George Ross's campaign, I would repay the favor during your re-election," Bowles said. "That was not an idle threat."

Interpretation of a threat

Bowles denies that his statement to Allard was a threat.  

"It’s a threat to help defeat her at the ballot," he said. Bowles said his statement was not a threat of physical harm and said Allard misinterpreted his statement. "I don’t have a violent bone in my body and would never contemplate that."

"I told her if she supported George Ross, that I’d repay her in her re-election," Bowles said. "I told her I’d work against her, and I will."  

Bowles said he has recommended to residents in the community that they not support Allard in her re-election and that he is entitled to do so. When asked if there was any formal anti-Allard campaign in place, Bowles said: "not yet."

The two politicians have not seen eye to eye on much of anything over the years, often disagreeing on decisions that came before them when they sat on the City Council together.

Allard said Bowles is singling her out and is harassing her. "For me, this is Amercia. I can support any candidate I want," she said. "Why am I being singled out?"

"Is he going after every candidate that supported Mr. Ross?"

If the alleged harrassment and/or threats continue, Allard said, she will take legal action and has made it clear in an e-mail to Bowles. 

"I'm nicely asking you again to stop harassing me if not I will take whatever action needed," she wrote in an e-mail to Bowles. "This isn't a threat, it's a fact. I do have legal recourse and will use it if you continue."

Beyond the election

Not supporting Allard goes deeper than her reelection, according to Bowles. 

"I don’t think she is a good city councilor," he said. "I don’t see someone who is objective. She has allegiances.

"One of the things I view as import as a city councilor is recognizing that the legislative branch is separate from the administration branch," he added. 

Bowles went on to say that he feels it is important for city councilors to recognize that each measure that comes before them needs to be evaluated on its own merit.

"I don’t do what the mayor (Kevin Dumas) says and I don’t always agree with him," Allard said. "I sometimes agree with the administration and sometimes I do not and I think that’s true with every councilor. Anyone who knows me knows I make decisions of what I think is best, not because of what someone has told me to do."