On the Trail with Ty: 10/27/18

1. This was a whirlwind of a week!  I was invited to a Halloween party for children, sponsored by Attleboro’s Youth Commission. It was fun watching small children playing games, politely lining up to receive candy from the city councilors, and having a good old fashioned Halloween. Kudos to our Youth Commission!

2. The highlight of my week was the City Council/State Representative debate at city hall. Once more, I was proud to live in Attleboro as we discussed local issues. The most important question concerned respect for our mayor, our city councilors, and one another. I absolutely respect the efforts of Mayor Heroux and each of our councilors. We don’t have to agree when debating issues but we darn well need to be courteous and polite. I applaud anyone who tries to create a better world, a better Attleboro. Civility is essential in our society.

3. As your city councilor I pledge to listen to your concerns, questions, and views. I will try to help seniors with their property taxes, children with their schooling, and constituents who contact me with their personal concerns. i will listen to you.

4. I spent several hours last week at gatherings with John Davis and Nick Lavoie, who are running for City Council. John and Nick are fine gentlemen. They truly care about Attleboro and both of them would be excellent city councilors. Attleboro will be well served if you vote for either of these men.

5. Today I dressed up in a wig with a Manny Ramirez Red Sox’ uniform. We held signs and waved at cars passing through County Square for a couple of hours. Cars were honking and people were smiling and laughing as they passed us. A good time for everyone.

6. During this final week of the campaign I will be knocking at doors until sunset on Monday, November 5th. I will also be speaking this Tuesday at 11 am on the Paul Healy show on WARA. Please call the radio station if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts.

7. If you decide to vote for me, I will give you my best effort. I look forward to being your public servant.

WHAT DOES JULIE HALL STAND FOR?

      I have been trying to figure out what Julie Hall believes and stands for. Not an easy task.

1. JULIE REFUSED TO DEBATE JEFF BAILEY ON TV IN FEBRUARY. THE MODERATOR, MAYOR PAUL HEROUX, DOES NOT KNOW WHY SHE REFUSED.

2. AT A RECENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING, JULIE ABSTAINED FROM VOTING FOR AN APRIL 3rd SPECIAL ELECTION TO ELECT A NEW STATE REP.

3.  JULIE ALSO ABSTAINED FROM PLACING THE DEBT EXCLUSION ON THE APRIL 3rd BALLOT TO FUND A NEW HIGH SCHOOL.

4. JULIE CITED A CONFLICT OF INTEREST LED HER TO ABSTAIN FROM THE VOTES. THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED 8-0 FOR THE APRIL 3rd ELECTION. AND THE 2 1/2 PROPOSITION OVERRIDE. I DON’T SEE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

5. JULIE HAS DECIDED NOT TO LEAVE THE CITY COUNCIL IF SHE IS ELECTED AS STATE REPRESENTATIVE. SHE DOES NOT SEE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN WORKING FOR BOTH THE STATE AND THE CITY AT THE SAME TIME. I DO SEE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST ON THIS ISSUE.

6. JULIE VOTED TO GRANT A PERMIT TO A NEW MEDICAL MARIJUANA FACILITY IN ATTLEBORO.

7. JULIE ACCEPTED A PAIR OF $1000 CAMPAIGN DONATIONS FROM AN EXECUTIVE OF THE SAME MARIJUANA COMPANY. SHE SEES NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN ACCEPTING THIS MONEY. I DO SEE A POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

8. WHEN CRITICIZED BY STATE REP. CANDIDATE JIM HAWKINS FOR ACCEPTING THE PAIR OF $1,000 CAMPAIGN DONATIONS, JULIE SAID, “I DON’T THINK ANY OF MY SUPPORTERS DO IT TO REWARD ME. WHAT WOULD THEY BE REWARDING  FOR?”. (I can’t imagine why they might give her that money!)

9. JULIE DOES NOT BELIEVE PRIMARIES ARE NEEDED IN MASSACHUSETTS. SHE BELIEVES THERE SHOULD BE ONLY ONE VOTE AND THE HIGHEST VOTE-GETTER IS ELECTED. SHE STATED THIS MARCH 4th ON WARA RADIO. JULIE DOESN’T THINK MANY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE PRIMARIES.

10. JULIE STATED SHE WOULD NOT SUPPORT A MILLIONAIRE TAX IN MASSACHUSETTS. IF APPROVED ON A STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTION, THE TAX WOULD SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS. JULIE SAID WE SHOULD FIND WASTE INSTEAD. (I support finding wasted money but still believe we need additional funding for schools).

MY CONCLUSION:

IN MY BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH JULIE HALL SHE SEEMS TO BE A NICE PERSON. SHE EVEN SUGGESTED TO ME RECENTLY THAT I OUGHT TO RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL.

BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE WOULD STAND FOR AS A STATE REPRESENTATIVE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHE SUPPORTS. 

-Ty

Election Week Recap

TUESDAY, MARCH 6th: My wonderful volunteers helped all day long, holding signs well past the limits of normal human endurance on all five voting sites. John Manning and the Southeastern Carpenters Union sent 7 volunteers to help man LaSallette and St. Theresa’s voting areas with signs. I was really proud of you guys! Thank you, John (Carpenter’s) and Calvin (SEIU 509 Social Workers) for you union support!

 We lost 690-402 and the turnout might have been an all-time record Attleboro low… about 10% of registered voters. The rush hour even seemed dreadfully slow! Running for public office isn’t for sissies!

When I found out the results on the TV screen about 8:30 pm, I was the first one to tell our volunteers. Then I took a long shower to gather my thoughts. My first concern was my friends in the living room. How could I console them and put them in more of a party mood? They were so dedicated, close, loyal…. each of them had become more like a friend than a volunteer.

Thanks to Jax we stayed upbeat… Jax could lift the spirits of a homeless man resting in the rain on library steps! She lifted my spirits all right. I told them we really were winners. We held signs 7 or 8 Saturdays, through all kinds of weather. We went out canvassing at least twice a week. Jax developed a terrific social website, Zach and Jax put together mailing lists for a citywide mailing, Bill handled treasurers duties quite capably and displayed amazing driving and parking skills while we toured all around Attleboro knocking on doors and putting up signs on 107 sites. Bill woke me up many a morning while sipping his third cup of coffee and told me he was ready to go out knocking on doors! We put up signs early and often. Our supporters were effervescent (not sure what that means but it sounds good). I had two terrific radio interviews by Paul Healy and two debates…. did better on the 2nd one. Our kickoff party was only 60 days before our election nite party. IT WAS FAST! We went outside in six degrees and finished in a March hurricane that almost destroyed my neighborhood and wrecked a house next door.

I told our volunteers we had a lot to be proud of and this is not the end… only the end of the beginning!

Paul Heroux dropped in about 9:30 and cheered us up again with his witty sense of humor and complimented us on our efforts and loyalty to one another. We have a terrific team! Thanks, Paul. You are a real friend,

IT WAS A WILD RIDE. We should be proud of our accomplishments. We started with relatively low name recognition and brought 402 voters onto our platform “WE NEED A KINDER, GENTLER GOVERNMENT!”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7: I went to Morin’s at 10 AM for the Dems unity breakfast… Not sure why Paulo (the third Dem in the primary) didn’t show.But I came to congratulation Jim Hawkins. I was amazed when Ellen Parker and Bill Bowles took me aside to tell me what a great campaign we ran. He told me we were almost perfect. The biggest challenge was creating more name and face recognition… we’re in the middle of that project right now. Jim shook my hand, grabbed my shoulders, and thanked me profusely for coming to support his victory. I had done the right thing by coming to support Jim.

Then I went out to my car and drove around Attleboro for 7 hours picking up all our signs! I was determined to clean up and move on with my life. Bill, you would have proud of my driving and parking. Almost as fast and good as yours… not quite, though! When I returned from South Attleboro at 6:30 pm it was pitch dark and rainy. But the signs were all in my car.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8th: I met with Mel and Alice (volunteers living in Sharon). I didn’t know what to do with myself. Suddenly I had time. What to do? We went out to lunch. I needed to rest. Exhausted.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9th: While working for the YMCA, I kept getting compliments throughout the day. Everyone was positive and told me to keep running for city or state government. I felt like I’d struck a chord of enthusiasm with a wide variety of people. EVEN JULIE HALL TOLD ME I SHOULD RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL when I literally ran into her, while she was jogging past the YMCA!

SATURDAY, MARCH 10: I received a 6 am Email from Ellen, inviting me to go canvassing that day for Jim Hawkins. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Jim’s a good candidate, ran a hard and clean race for state rep, and won. Now he needs help.

While showering, I had a revelation… now it’s my turn to help Jim win this race for the Democratic Party, for the entire city of Attleboro. He’s a nice man and an excellent advocate for our Attleboro schools, as a former high school teacher in our city. So, I E-mailed Jim and we talked on the phone at 8 am. I told him that I want to endorse him and actively work door to door to help him to victory. He was a little surprised but we made a pact in December to support one another and never attack each other. Now was the time for me to live up to that promise.

I am in a position to help Jim, to ask my voters to give Jim their support. Will you help Jim to victory over Julie Hall on April 3rd? I would give Jim all 402 of my votes if I could.

That would make a big difference come the April 3rd election day! It’s time to help Jim now. So I sent him my list of volunteers and people who took our 197 signs.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11th: I WENT TO THE 2nd CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN THE CENTER OF THE CITY. More people congratulated me on a good showing and urged me to never give up. I read the scripture and the call to worship as today’s liturgist. The scripture was about a woman who had been sick for a long time but kept coming back to Jesus to be healed. She never gave up and finally, Jesus blessed and granted her wish to be healed.

The sermon and scripture spoke to me.  Don’t give up. Get up off my butt and keep focused on the future. I believe I’m supposed to be a voice for the people, to proclaim the need for a “KINDER, GENTLER GOVERNMENT.”  My path may be a bit winding but my time…. our time…. will come.

WE WILL PROCLAIM A NEW DAY OF COMPASSION AND CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER. I WILL RETURN TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.

PS A special thank you goes out to Jax. She never gives up!