ATTLEBORO - Mayoral candidate John Davis has taken a swipe at Mayor Kevin Dumas, saying the two-term chief executive has failed to reach out to residents and tap into their knowledge and concerns to make the city better.

"I'm convinced the present administration has isolated itself from the public," said Davis. "That's not good leadership. In order to make good final decisions, you need to reach out to as many people as you can. It think it's irresponsible not to reach out to as many people as you can."

Davis' plans

Davis said if he's elected in November, he'll create a special advisory committee to keep him in touch with what residents are thinking and to identify and solve problems- large or small.

The committee would be made up of volunteers appointed by Davis who would meet on a regular basis. "My goal is to get as many interested parties as possible," said Davis a four-term councilor who is making his second try for the corner office. "I can't think of any time when more advice and more input was a bad thing." Davis previously ran in 1997, but was eliminated in a preliminary election.

Davis also claimed that Dumas hasn't fully used existing citizen committees, like the street scape committee or the housing needs committee. He said they've been ignored.

"I feel a lot of these groups believe this administration isn't interested in what they are saying," he said.

Dumas's response

Dumas countered that he and his administration have reached out in a number of ways.

For example, he or a member of his administration regularly accepts invitations to functions put on by community groups, which provide opportunities for people to talk to him directly or communicate with a staff member, he said.

"My administration reaches out in as many ways as we can," he said. " There are very few events that either myself or a member of my administration don't attend."

Dumas also noted that he continues to hold constituent office hours twice a month during which anyone may come in and talk to him about an issue. He began the practice when he was first elected three years ago.

It's been busy lately, he said.

"We had six people in here this morning," Dumas said. "It was an active day." The mayor countered concerns about the streetscape committee by repeating an earlier announcement that many of the committee's recommendations will be implemented this spring.

He's planning to spend between $700,000 and $800,000 to get the program underway, he said.

Dumas also said he plans to get a Youth Commission up and running in the coming months.

The effort, originally suggested by Council President Barry LaCasse, aims to involve youth between the ages of 12 and 23 in city government.

Members will be appointed by the mayor and approved by the council and will act as a voice for youth in city government, Dumas said.

GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.