Write In Bousquet for New Bedford Ward 3 Councilor [OPINION]

Whoever launched the write-in campaign to elect Henry Bousquet to the Ward 3 City Council seat should be commended. Bousquet served several terms in that position before opting not to seek re-election in 2017.

Bousquet teaches at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. An absurd state law bars him from receiving more than one municipal salary at a time. Therefore, he served on the council without compensation. That most certainly must have gotten old after a while.

Bousquet is a good family man with good conservative values. He was well-liked by his colleagues and his decision to retire was a disappointment to his constituents. It would be good to see Henry Bousquet back on the city council once more.

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The idea of a "Draft Henry" movement, for lack of a better way to describe it, came about when no one returned nomination papers to challenge incumbent Councilor Hugh Dunn, who now faces criminal charges in connection with his May 1 car crash in a downtown parking lot. Dunn faces no competition on the November 2 ballot and will win re-election if the Bousquet write-in campaign is unsuccessful.

Bousquet made it clear to WBSM News that he did not seek this effort on his behalf but that he would serve if elected. “If the people of Ward 3 were to write me in as a way to encourage my involvement, I would absolutely and enthusiastically oblige,” he stated.

Bousquet said he and Dunn are friends and that he would not consider running against his friend “despite his recent spate of bad publicity."

A write-in campaign for Henry Bousquet in Ward 3 makes perfect sense. Write-in campaigns are tough to launch and even tougher to win. The alternative would be to re-elect one of the most arrogant men to hold public office in New Bedford in many years, who happens to be facing a criminal trial. Dunn could do Ward 3 and New Bedford a big favor by withdrawing from the race altogether. Given the size of his ego, I doubt that would happen.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.