Mayoral contenders duke it out

Lantigua, a four-term state representative, and Abdoo, a first-term city councilor at large, are dueling in Tuesday’s city election to succeed Mayor Michael J. Sullivan, who was unable to run again because of term limits.

The race has drawn attention in part because Lawrence could become the first city in the state to elect a Latino mayor if Lantigua prevails.

This year’s election marks the first time Lawrence will choose a mayor when the majority of registered voters are Latino, according to Rafael Tejeda, the city’s bilingual elections coordinator. As of May, 57.4 percent of the city’s 32,687 registered voters were Latino.

In an interview, Abdoo accused Lantigua of being unwilling to meet him in debates or other joint appearances, calling him a “no-show candidate.’’

“He refuses to accept anybody’s invitation to any kind of public event. He does not talk to people,’’ Abdoo said.

Lantigua said he keeps in close contact with residents through public forums and neighborhood visits.

“I don’t need to debate for people to get to know me,’’ he said. “[Abdoo’s] problem is that nobody knows who he is. He wants me to introduce him to the community [through debates]. I’m not going to do that.’’

Abdoo also criticized Lantigua for tardiness in filing his first campaign finance report, which was due Sept. 14, “If he can’t handle campaign finances, how is he going to manage a $9.5 million deficit,’’ Abdoo said, referring to the city’s budget shortfall.

According to City Clerk William Maloney, Lantigua on Tuesday filed both his Sept. 14 campaign finance report and his latest report, which was due on Monday.

Abdoo filed his reports on time, adding information to his Sept. 14 report the next day.

Lantigua, interviewed Monday, said he needed to sit down with his campaign finance officers to determine why the Sept. 14 report had not been filed previously.

But in a retort to Abdoo, he said his opponent is “partly to blame for the deficit’’ because of his votes as a councilor in support of the last two city budgets. “How can he think he would be fit to manage the city’s finances when he is partly responsible for the financial crisis himself?’’

Abdoo responded that Lantigua’s comments show that “he does not understand the budget process. . . . All the City Council can do is make cuts to the budget’’ presented by the mayor, he said. In his two years on the council, Abdoo said, he had voted for “every possible efficiency and cut.’’

Lantigua, meanwhile, said his status as a Democrat would help him in the race, calling attention to the fact that while currently unenrolled, Abdoo has been a Republican in the past.

“Being a Democrat in a Democratic city is yielding a good result,’’ Lantigua said. “Even though it’s a nonpartisan race, people take the party issue very seriously.’’

“This is a nonpartisan race,’’ Abdoo responded. “Rather than the week before the election talking about party affiliation, we should be talking about the issues. People want to talk about fire and police protection, how we are going to manage the budget.’’

Both campaigns have landed notable endorsements recently. Abdoo picked up the backing of the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council, while Lantigua was endorsed by Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray.

Lantigua was among six Latinos to compete in a 10-way preliminary, and was the top vote-getter, edging Abdoo by 116 votes.

Lantigua said while his election would be an important moment in the city’s history, “What I want to be remembered for is not being the first [Latino mayor]. What would make me proud would be to be able to be one of the best, if not the best,’’ mayors.

“The most important factor in this race is putting a chief executive officer in place who can lead us over the next four years out of this financial crisis,’’ said Abdoo. “This is not a referendum on race.’’

Both candidates said they have the ability to bring together the Anglo and Latino communities to address the city’s needs.

Abdoo, director of governmental and media affairs for the US Department of Health and Human Services’ regional office in Boston, said getting the city’s “financial house in order’’ would be one of his key tasks as mayor.

“It may require some difficult decisions, but our way of doing business in Lawrence must change,’’ he said. “We must learn to live within a balanced budget.’’

Abdoo also promised to strengthen the city’s human resources management, noting that that would save the city over the long term by preventing future wrongful termination claims.

Lantigua said he offers someone who is “always there for my constituents. I’m not one to only reach out to people during election time. I’m always out there, always accessible.’’

If he wins, Lantigua said, right after the election he will seek to raise $500,000 to fund an outside audit of the city’s finances so that his administration would begin with a clear picture of the fiscal situation.