Back in 2017, John Stefanini – chairman of the Racing Oversight Board for Commonwealth Equine – was a mayoral candidate for the city of Framingham. He was captured on camera interfering with an opponent’s campaign material at the library.
The incident, captured on surveillance video, erupted into a political controversy, prompting a police investigation and forcing Stefanini to issue an apology. Campaign volunteer Norma Shulman was stationed at the library to collect signatures for Yvonne Spicer, who was also running for mayor. Shulman said she left her campaign items in the lobby to attend a forum taking place from 9 to 11 a.m. When she returned, the items — including a clipboard with signature sheets and a handmade poster that had newspaper articles about Spicer glued to it — were gone.
The police showed Shulman the video. "I said, ‘Oh my goodness,’ because it was John Stefanini,” said Shulman. “He shouldn’t have touched it. After putting it behind the trash can, he left, came back and he ripped the articles off the board."
"It was very sad, and I felt fairly sick after that. To me, it’s a matter of character.”
Video obtained through a public records request shows Shulman setting up the display shortly before 9 a.m., leaning a piece of blue poster board against a glass window. Beside it were a clipboard with signature sheets and handwritten sign that read “Framingham Voters Sign Here.”
Stefanini can be seen emerging into the lobby around 10:22 a.m., holding a mobile phone to his ear. Stefanini paused, looking around to see if anyone was watching, before walking toward the display and photographing it with his phone. He then removed the material and tucked it behind a trash can. Stefanini exited the library, stopping to shake hands with a woman on his way through the sliding door. He returned about 13 seconds later, again holding a phone to his ear as he stooped to remove three news articles that were glued to the front of the display. Stefanini initially defended his actions, saying he moved the display because it was “clearly inappropriate” and “illegal” to leave the material in a public building. Stefanini added that he removed the news articles about Spicer because he wanted to read them.
Stefanini later apologized to Spicer, but stood by his rationale for interfering with the display. Stefanini claimed that it was inappropriate for the Spicer campaign to place material in a municipal building.
Stefanini, an attorney, former state representative, and former selectman, added he was “disappointed that someone would knowingly violate well-known campaign rules.”
However, state election officials cast doubt on Stefanini’s allegations last week. Campaign finance laws don’t bar political activity in municipal buildings. And candidates are not required to supervise signature sheets, or witness a voter providing a signature in person, said Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin.
Is this how to run a business? John Stefanini and Richard Fields do not have the best interests of Hardwick at heart. Don't let these con-men trick you into thinking a horse race track, a continually dying industry, is going to serve our town well. As the old saying goes: actions speak louder than words.
No surprise to me. Perhaps it should be public to Hardwick residents. Tigers don’t change their stripes!