On The Trail with Ty: 10/2/18

1. Hillary pulled into her long dirt driveway and slammed her brakes to say “Hi”, while I stood by my bike. She was excited to meet me and easy to talk with. We chatted about the Attleboro school system. She noted the abrupt rise in class sizes over the past few years, we both agreed that “For Sale” signs are rising, and young couples are moving out of Attleboro in search of another school system. This was a rather bleak look into the future of ours. She hopes we restore French in the high school and Spanish in the middle school.

We agreed that Attleboro was a darn good school system a few years ago and has plenty of excellent teachers. But our system is stressed now. We need to address the class sizes, refocus on foreign languages, and set our educational sights high.

If we rebuild our schools, people will come. Attleboro can become a Field of Dreams.

2. Just before the skies opened up, I met Mike. We talked about seniors needing assistance to keep their homes. Then he stepped back and asked what political party I belonged to. “The City Council is non-partisan”, I answered. “Too Bad”, he responded. “If you told me you were an Independent I would have voted for you. But I could never vote for a Democrat. I just couldn’t do it.”

I quietly looked Mike in the eyes. I asked him, “Don’t you think Republicans and Democrats both care about our Senior Center, library, police and fire departments? Don’t you think we both want the best for Attleboro’s schools? I became a Democrat because JFK saved our world when I was a child. He was strong, calm and determined to stop Russia and protect our country.”

Mike agreed that JFK was a great leader and president. “But times have changed, Ty. Kavanaugh is not guilty. No one can prove he did anything to her (Christine Blasey Ford). They are persecuting the Judge.”

I was quiet for a moment. Mike seemed sad, too. As he turned to shut the door, I said, “Call me sometime. I will try to help you. I don’t judge people simply by their political party.”

As the door closed I thought I heard Mike murmur, “O.K.” Maybe, just maybe, we connected a little bit.

On the Trail with Ty: 9/20/18

Today I met with a couple who live in Ward 4B, near the Norton line. They are retired, still have a mortgage, and their tax bill has recently increased from $4,000 to $5,200 a year. They are expecting next years tax bill to climb over $6,000 on their fixed income. This is a story being played out all over Attleboro.

In this case, the couple is seriously considering moving to North Carolina where taxes and housing costs are a lot less expensive. Most seniors either can’t move or don’t want to leave their extended family behind. We need to help those folks who choose to stay in Attleboro.

In recent weeks I have seen a dramatic increases in homes for sale. I hope these are people choosing to live in a better home. But some of them may be moving into apartments or downsizing because they can’t afford their current homes.

I love Attleboro and plan to stay. But I want to help Seniors that are in danger of losing their homes. Our State Rep., Jim Hawkins, has informed me that three bills are working their way through the state house. The goal is to help seniors get a cap on their taxes or a loan to help them through a housing crisis. I haven’t seen the details but I hope to vote for one of these housing bills as a city councilor.

Affordable housing is one of our deepest needs, especially when we live on fixed incomes.

On the Trail with Ty: 9/28/18

Last Wednesday experienced another dog story.

I was campaigning on North Ave (Ward 3A) and veered off onto Hood Street near dusk. While biking I almost bumped into a lone Golden Retriever mix trotting down the middle of the street. I figured my new canine friend was either lost or had slipped out of a house unobserved. I knocked at the nearest house. The lady of that house guessed that Sandy (the dog’s real name) had snuck out of a home a short distance up the street.

I slipped a leash around Sandy’s neck and off we went looking for the missing owner (s). Two houses on the left and BINGO. A senior lady answered the bell. Surprise! She hadn’t seen Sandy slip through the new rip in the front door’s screen and didn’t realize her puppy was missing. Sandy wanted to play with me but I ended up carrying her into her rightful home and depositing her on the living room rug. Sandy knew how to wriggle.

Then the man of the house drove up the driveway. He was extremely thankful and plans to get a better leash and choke collar. It was a feel good scene. My score is: 2 dogs rescued in September, 0 dogs escaped. I’m on a roll.

Now I’m waiting for dog number #3. Next year I may run for dog catcher!

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YOU ARE INVITED TO PLAY or WATCH A SOFTBALL GAME WITH TY.

I’d like to invite anyone reading this message to join us at our campaign softball game/cookout on Sunday, October 7th, 12 to 3 pm. Please park at the high school and stroll over to the nearby softball field. We are serving hot dogs and hamburgs. We’ll have soft drinks available.

Small donations are much appreciated for my campaign. I want to be on our City Council so I can work on smaller classes in our city schools; advocate for foreign languages and mental health services for our students; help seniors get a break in their property taxes; and attract more businesses into Attleboro.

Regards,

ty

On the Trail with Ty: 9/15/18 & 9/16/18

The highlight this weekend was two fold.

Saturday morning we held signs from 10 am – 12 pm at the entrance to Stop and Shop & Pleasant Street. There was a lot of traffic, a lot of waves from neighbors, a lot of thumbs up, and at least a dozen cars honked for us! My team is doing a great job promoting the campaign and getting my name recognized.

The last 30 minutes the volunteers and I played a game. Would men or women wave or honk more? The rules? One point for a wave, two points for a honk. Believe it or not, men beat the woman with 36 points to 33 points! The men were more likely to honk for 2 points.

Next Saturday morning we are holding signs at County Square. We could use your help! If you want to volunteers some Saturday mornings, call Jan Waterman at 508-455-1918. Holding signs and waving can be fun and really helps the campaign.

I biked to Ward 5A, just south of the center, on Saturday afternoon. I covered Maple, Mulberry, and Carpenter Streets. I met lots of nice people. I found Manuel in back of his home, watering his garden. Manuel is 72 years old. He spends a lot of time tending to his vegetable garden. I told Manuel I wanted to help seniors get a property tax break, he signed my nomination papers and introduced me to his girlfriend who also signed. He also took five palm cards to show to five of his seven adult children who also live in Attleboro. He had already shown me so much kindness but concluded by asking for two of my signs to tie onto his fence. What a nice man! Manuel is the salt of the earth.

On the trail with Ty: 9/8/18

This campaign sometimes feels like a battle of signs. We have about 180 signs up. My opponents have lots of signs too.

The last two days have been exceptional with 11 homeowners requesting signs in wards 2 and 3. Each one of those signs represents a wonderful conversation with that homeowner.

Today, along North Main Street, I met a lady, her 18 year old daughter, and her daughters best friend. We talked about the large increase in Attleboro High School classes over the past few years. We talked about the need for a civics class at AHS. We talked about the new voting procedure in the state of Maine. We talked about college and the young women’s goals of becoming a social worker and an engineer. We talked about protesting when our schools lose good teachers through budget cuts. We talked about homeless folks in Attleboro and the need for a family shelter.

Each sign has a story behind it. This North Main Street sign represents a proud mother, a daughter determined to make this a better world, and a friend who wants to be a good engineer. This sign represents two young women that are proud to be voting for the first time, who care about Attleboro’s schools, and who want to make this world a better place.

Each sign tells an important story.