On Thursday I attended a lunch sponsored by the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce. Several other candidates also attended including Jamison Tomisek, Jon Golnik and Charlie Baker. All of the candidates were allowed to make brief remarks. I want to thank the Chamber for inviting me to participate.
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        The failure of the Republicans in the Mass House of Representatives to force a vote on the $400 spending bill that went through on Monday was a mistake. If the party wants more power on Beacon Hill we need to demonstrate that unlike the Democrats we will do the right thing. Cutting backroom deals to make bills less bad than they started out is not the approach to take. I hope the Senate will do a better job of protecting the taxpayers.

        In less then 2 minutes the House spent $400 million without any member going on record for or against. Why are we paying 160 reps when only a few are needed to pass bills? How many reps will file for their per diem and say they were at the Sate House Monday even though they didn?t vote?

          I expect such backroom deals from the Democrat leadership. I am disappointed that the House Republican leadership has chosen to go along with business as usual.  After the mistakes of the Republican Congress nationally, we need to demonstrate that we will not go along with the status quo.  Standing silently by while this latest federal bailout goes into effect sends the opposite message.

        The state budget process needs to be done openly, with recorded votes.  If the current budget is really  $400 million out of balance two months after it was passed the current legislature is incompetent.  If it is not out of balance they are lying to us. In either case this episode shows why we need to elect new members to the house.
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     If elected one issue I want to deal with is computer generated robocalls by political candidates. In Massachusetts political calls are completely exempt from the do not call program. Other states, such as New Hampshire have begun to regulate these calls. This is another example of politicians writing laws for other people and exempting themselves.

     I also promise that during my campaign I will not use machine generated calls or messages. Any phone calling I do will be done by an actual person.

     Several states now regulate these political calls. In New Hampshire robocalls cannot be made to people on the Do  Not Call Registry. In California a live operator must come on the line first and obtain consent before a recording can be played.
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 I filled out every issue survey I received from interest groups even I never expected their endorsement. I believe everyone that asks a question about an issue deserves an answer.

I welcome any group that wants to endorse me. Being a challenger I did not expect many to do so. Being a fiscal conservative also makes it unlikely as many of these groups are seeking to preserve or expand the amount of money they receive from the state. There is one organization that I did want to endorse me. Today I got my wish.

I am pleased to announce that Citizens for Limited Taxation's PAC has endorsed me. The cornerstone belief of my campaign is that the burden of taxes, fees and tolls is too high and I will never vote to increase it. I hope to work with CLT and like minded people in the legislature next year.

In 2009 Colleen Garry's CLT rating was 33% if elected my goal is to triple that score.
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I was invited by the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council to come in and discuss my response to the AFL-CIO issue survey. I was pleased that they invited me in to share my views. Needless to say there were a few issues we disagreed on. They were very respectful and I look forward to working with them after I am elected.
    Thus far I have made sure to reply to every survey I have received. Every citizen, or interest group, that asks deserves to know where I stand on issues that affect them. “Special interests” are an easy target to attack but usually they are citizens that are passionate about issues and fight for their position.
    Individuals and groups that we don’t always agree with deserve the candidate’s ear. Speaking only to those we agree with is the intellectually lazy person’s way out. As the next representative of the 36th Middlesex District my door will be open to all.
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    Since the theme of my campaign kickoff party is Bunker Hill Day I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that today is the actual date of the battle. Today is the 135th anniversary of the battle.

    Brief historic recap- 1500 colonists under the command of Israel Putnam and William Prescott twice repelled a British force of 2200 led by William Howe. The British suffered over 1000 casualties. Over sixty officers were killed. On the third charge the British captured the hill. The most famous American casualty was Dr, Joseph Warren, one of the leaders of the Boston Sons of Liberty. The Bunker Hill Monument was dedicated on June 17, 1843.

    Imagine if the patriots that defended that hill returned today. The modern equivalent of the king’s functionaries receive a paid day off yet those that pay the taxes do not. Services to the public are cut, taxes are raised but the elimination of an unnecessary public sector holiday remains a step the legislature refuses to carry out. How sad.

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I would like to thank the Dracut Republican Town Committee for its generous contribution to my campaign.

Raising money is the hardest part of being a candidate by far. Yet each contribution is a vote of confidence, that somebody believes you are deserving of his or her hard-earned money. This is especially true in these hard economic times.

My goal is to wage a campaign that will be worthy of the generous efforts of the town committee and those individuals that have donated to my campaign. I am asking any of you that want to advance reform of state government, fiscal sanity, lower taxesand any of the other issues I advocate to help support my candidacy. Donations of $10 or $20 allow me to purchase important campaign materials. (It is not a cliché to say no donation is too small.)

Obviously larger contributions allow me to reach a wider audience. If you can help please see my Donate page.


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My Radio Debut 06/05/2010
 
I appeared on 980 WCAP with Warren Shaw on his Saturday Morning Live show. The segment was about eleven minutes long and we discussed my opposition to taxes and tolls, local aid, casinos and 40B among other topics.  You can hear it for yourself by clicking below.
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I want to take a minute to thank Sheila Richardson for helping me get the signatures I needed to get on the ballot.  In addition to the signatures her hard work and dedication serve as a cure for complacency on my part.
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I attended a seminar about campaign finance sponsored by The Office of Campaign and Political Finance at the McCormack building in Boston.  My campaign treasurer and finance assistant also attended.  The class covered the basics of what to avoid in fundraising and how to properly file reports. Hopefully as the campaign progresses I will raise a lot of money and this seminar will have been time well spent.
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