Kennedy, Phelan feud over computer

LYNN – Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said what she considers to be “campaign violations” by her mayoral opponent, City Council President Timothy Phelan, prompted her to meet with the district attorney just hours before she briefly confiscated a council aide?s computer on the day of the preliminary election last week.?Over the course of the last several months, there have been what are, in my opinion, violations by Councilor Phelan?s campaign as to improprieties in some of the things he has done,” she said Thursday.In an interview, Kennedy said she thinks there have been more than six instances of “violation of law” by the Phelan campaign and said she will meet “shortly” with Phelan to discuss her claims.Phelan fired back Thursday, calling Kennedy?s decision to take council executive assistant Terry Young?s computer out of the council office “an abuse of power.” He also said he consulted Police Chief Kevin Coppinger about the mayor?s actions.?She is not above the law. She?s on a fishing expedition with no concrete knowledge,” he said.In an interview in her office Thursday, Kennedy discussed her concerns about a letter from the Phelan campaign that touts his work on behalf of veterans, sent to voters just days before the preliminary on Sept. 17. She did not elaborate on other alleged violations.Kennedy said the veterans letter was the “tipping point” that made her consult with Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. She said the letter about veterans contained signatures purporting to be those of Timothy Phelan, Vincent Phelan and Robert Phelan, all three of which she said she believes were written by City Council executive assistant Terry Young.She said the veterans letter was forwarded to her by email Sept. 14 by “a concerned citizen.”In the letter, Phelan asks veterans for “your honorable vote” on preliminary day (Sept. 17) and on Nov. 5, the date of the final election.Phelan on Thursday said he wrote the veterans letter and asked campaign worker Delores DiFillipo to sign his name and his brothers? names on it.?It was created on my computer,” he said.DiFillipo on Thursday confirmed signing the letter with the Phelan signatures.Asked why she has not brought her concerns to Phelan, Kennedy said: “When you?re angry the last thing you want to do is reach out to the person who angered you.”But Phelan said Kennedy only commented publicly on her decision to examine Young?s computer after Young protested the decision in a Sept. 20 letter to city attorney Michael Barry.?To accuse Terry Young of something like this is shameful. If she (Kennedy) has a specific allegation, bring it up,” he said.When asked about the mayor?s accusations, Young said Thursday night, “I have nothing to say.”Computer seized during preliminaryKennedy said her discussion with Blodgett at 10 a.m. on preliminary election day, prompted her to direct mayoral computer consultant Kenneth Weeks to accompany her to the council office in City Hall and take possession of Young?s computer at about 5:15 p.m that evening, the day voters across the city cast ballots for Phelan, Kennedy and other candidates in the city?s preliminary election.?Kenny said, ?All right, which one is Terry?s computer?? I said, ?It?s that one,?” Kennedy said.Young was absent from the office when Weeks took the computer, but the council aide, in her letter to Barry, said she was on the verge of calling police to report the computer stolen when Weeks walked into the office and returned the machine. Weeks claimed, according to Young, that “a virus popped up” in the machine.Kennedy on Thursday defended taking and reviewing the computer but said, after being asked repeatedly what was discovered on the computer that, following Weeks? review, “I don?t believe that particular computer was used” to write the veterans letter. She quickly added, however, that she was reminded “the next day” that the City Council had bought a laptop for Terry Young.Phelan questioned that explanation.?She went into the