Clancy’s cash fails to pay off in election

LYNN – Two bar owners said they donated $700 to mayoral challenger Judith Flanagan Kennedy’s campaign based on their friendship with the City Councilor at Large, not her opposition to the 2007 rollback in bar closing hours.”That is not on our agenda right now,” said Rocco DiFillipo, owner of The Brickyard on Blossom Street.Fran’s Place owner John Collins also gave Flanagan $500 as did firefighter Robert Bourgeois, and Brandy Barrel owner John Ohlson contributed $200.”She’s a friend of mine,” Ohlson said, noting he contributed $100 to Clancy’s campaign and has given money in the past to the mayor’s election bids.The city Licensing Board approved the rollback in December 2007, triggering legal challenges from bar owners. Clancy, who as mayor has appointment authority over the three-member board and authority to name the board chairman, supported the rollback.Flanagan on Friday said she opposed the closing time rollback from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. because “I thought it would hurt business owners.” She said more discussion should have been held on alternatives to the rollback, including closing bar doors at 1 a.m.Although he is friends with Flanagan and her husband, Kevin, DiFillipo also said he thinks it is time for a change in the mayor’s office.”We just want new blood in the city,” he said.Flanagan on Friday said she had not “made any promise on changing hours,” adding, “I’m willing to listen” if she is elected mayor.”I’d have to look at it again. I know businesses have suffered,” Flanagan said.Contributions from the three bar owners represented less than a third of Flanagan’s campaign contributions reported on her Sept. 8 finance report.Both campaigns’ filings represent expenses and money raised through Sept. 8 and do not reflect spending during the week preceding the preliminary election.Flanagan outpolled Clancy in the preliminary election even though the mayor outspent her by more than a 10-1 margin.Clancy spent $12,400 in August on campaign advertising, a Porthole Pub fundraiser, campaign worker salaries and organization donations. Flanagan’s campaign finance report filed in the City Clerk’s office indicates she spent $1,500 on signs and bumper stickers.Clancy geared up his campaign in June by spending $7,500 on polling research. He spent another $18,000 on billboards in mid-July out of a total of $74,600 spent on his campaign since January.Clancy’s campaign war chest held $146,000 as of Sept. 7, reflecting $41,400 in campaign contributions.The mayor’s contributors included prominent local business executives like Walter Cuffe of Cuffe McGinn Funeral Homes, Lynnway Mart owner Patrick McGrath, Nicholas Meninno of Mennino Construction, Brian Strasnick of Willow Labs, former West Lynn Creamery co-owner Nicholas Scangas and Arthur Pappathanasi, former president of West Lynn Creamery.Construction unions also gave to the mayor, whose eight-year tenure has seen a major renovation of Classical High School. The bricklayers political action committee and iron workers district council each donated $500 to Clancy’s re-election campaign as did the retired public employees political action committee.