Jim Fiorentini is a good guy.
<last night Fiorentini praised Rurak for his hard-fought campaign and asked his supporters to get over any animosity they may have toward their opponent, and instead focus their energies toward moving Haverhill forward.
“I want to thank a man my father liked very much, my opponent Jim Rurak,” said Fiorentini. “The Ruraks have served our city well over the decades, and I thank him for his public service.
“Campaigns sometimes get heated, and sometimes supporters find it hard to move on,” the mayor said. “But I encourage all of you to do so, so that we can all work together to face Haverhill’s great challenges.”
Rurak blamed his loss in large part on the Hale Hospital issue. When he was mayor in 2001, he sold the financially troubled hospital to a private company, keeping the hospital operating in the city but leaving Haverhill with a $7 million annual debt payment for 20 years.
“I couldn’t get the Hale off my back,” Rurak said last night. “(Fiorentini) had four years to blame the city’s financial troubles on me and it was too hard for me to get away from that in an election.”
