Mayor Mitchell Reports From DNC In Philadelphia

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell is among those in attendance at this year's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

While speaking on his weekly radio program Mayor Mitchell said that events like this provide an opportunity to promote New Bedford and make sure that the city has a voice when it comes to dealing with national powerbrokers.

"When it comes to the commercial fishing industry New Bedford better have a seat at the table, when it comes to all the clean energy progress we've made we need a seat at the table, when it comes to supporting seniors on Social Security we need to have a seat at the table, so we've got to assert ourselves from time to time," said Mitchell.

The convention takes place at a time when e-mails posted on the Wikileaks website appear to show collusion by Democratic party leaders to ensure that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would get the party's nomination instead of Vt. Senator Bernie Sanders.

Mayor Mitchell discussed the e-mails focusing on speculation that they were retrieved by hackers working for the Russian government.

"There have been allegations that a foreign government, specifically Russia, being somehow connected to those efforts," said Mitchell "to my mind that's even more disconcerting that there's a foreign government involved in a major party's server e-mail system."

Mitchell also said that while many of the comments in the e-mail were unacceptable, they weren't made by Clinton herself.

"There are staffers who said things they shouldn't have said and there should be consequences for those things and I'm not gonna say otherwise," said Mitchell "but that's not something that the candidate has espoused ever which is a stark contrast to the other guy."

He also discussed a speech given Tuesday night by the candidate's husband, former President Bill Clinton, that made a reference to New Bedford.

During the speech he mentioned Hillary Clinton's work in the 1970's on legislation regarding disabled children and schools and says, that while New Bedford wasn't directly named, the city was referenced in those remarks.

"He was talking about how she went to South Carolina and Alabama and a few other places but then he mentioned she went to Massachusetts," said Mitchell "but he didn't say that went to New Bedford, Massachusetts to see the way things were working and how that might effect the legislation."

Mayor Mitchell says there have been discussions with the Clinton campaign about making a commercial focusing on her work in the city.

In addition Mayor Mitchell says the trip was paid for with campaign funds and his own money and that no taxpayer funds were used to pay for the trip.