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Tuesday,
October 05, 2010
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EverythingWestport.com Tuesday,
October 05, 2010 photos/EverythingWestport.com
“This is your empowering moment,”
Varley told the hundreds crowded into the popular function hall on Rodman
Street. “Each local organization is different and each area decides for
themselves their agenda.” The Tea Parties’ doctrine of responsible,
limited government continues to percolate, heated up by what many voters
perceive as indifference by entrenched politicians to the needs of the
electorate. Westporters had a chance to meet the
area’s conservative candidates for the Election 2010 Mid Terms, and many
asked the tough questions as the U.S. economy continues to sputter. The formation of this new
non-partisan grassroots organization “stands with the country’s founders, as
heirs to the republic, to claim the rights and duties which preserve their
legacy and our own,” the group said. “The Spindle City Tea Party holds, as
did the founders, that there exists an inherent benefit to our country when
private property and prosperity are secured by natural law and the rights of
the individual.” Sean Bielat seeking to overthrow U.S.
Representative Barney Frank was clearly overwhelmed with the thunderous
reception by his supporters’ cheers and standing ovation. “I’m starting to
think we have the momentum; I’m thinking we can retire Barney. We have to
elect every single candidate in this room,” Bielat said to the fired-up
crowd.
Left: F. George Jacome of Fall River (center), running against democrat
Paul Schmid of Westport for State Representative - 8th Bristol District
speaks with Jack Baughan (left) and Ed Goldberg of Westport. Right:
Incumbent Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson reaches out a hand to Janet
Grant of East Taunton. There were no protestors, and the
evening clearly belonged to the Tea Party’s followers. Keeping the specter of
Scott Brown’s surprising victory on the immediate horizon, many of the
candidates were happy to associate with the grass roots group and ride the
momentum while pursuing their own agenda. “There is this disconnect in
Washington between what is wrong and what is legal,” Bielat said. “The
government’s role is to provide us with an environment in which we can
succeed. That vision begins on November 2.” “We have everything we need to win
this election,” Bielat said. “We just have to execute.”
Left: Sean Bielat with C. J. Ferry campaign manager Americo Miranda
(center) and Heather Unruh, co-anchor
of WCVB-TV early- and late-evening newscasts.
Center: Bristol County
sheriff Tom Hodgson (left) greeting republican candidate for Massachusetts
Attorney General, James P. McKenna. Right: republican candidate for the
3rd congressional district, Marty Lamb. Popular Bristol County Sheriff Tom
Hodgson took the opportunity to blast state legislators receiving full pay
for part-time work and said it had to change. “We need full-time work for a
full paycheck.” The tough talking, tough acting sheriff then brought the
crowd to its feet when he said “I will get the $5 fee; that will come.” “When I first ran for sheriff, I got
the reputation of not drinking the Kool-Aid. I’ll tell you, I drink tea and I
drink it all day long,” Hodgson said. The Sheriff’s fiery rhetoric was
recently matched by his equally tough stance on crime when he and an officer from his
department went on a nighttime surveillance
mission and apprehended a Fall River man who was vandalizing his reelection
campaign signs.
Left: The hall was packed with Tea Party devotees. Center:
Republican candidate for Secretary of State, Bill Campbell. Right:
republican candidate for Massachusetts
Attorney General, James P. McKenna who ran a successful write-in primary campaign. “We caught a man using a box cutter to slash one of my
campaign signs at about 1 a.m. Sunday,” Hodgson said. The sheriff said
about 100 of his signs have been destroyed. He said the man arrested admitted
to slashing other signs because he was angry after serving time in a county
jail. Marty Lamb, republican candidate
for 3rd congressional district brought more than a few chuckles when
he vowed to replace McGovern’s purported pork with “Lamb.” “It’s our civic responsibility and duty to get informed and learn
about our candidates,” Varley said. “By kicking off this candidates’ forum we
can better elect responsible officials not only in our own towns, cities,
counties and state, but all over our nation.” “We have to turn around Beacon Hill
and we especially have to turn around Capitol Hill,” Bielat added.
Left: Derek Maksy (right), republican candidate for State Senate – 1st Bristol and Plymouth sharing a
laugh with supporters. Right: Sean Bielat being interviewed
by Heather Unruh, co-anchor of WCVB-TV early- and late-evening
newscasts.
From the left: Spindle City Tea Party founder Carleton Boardman III, Bill Campbell, James P. McKenna, C. J. Ferry, Sean Bielat, Marty Lamb, and Sheriff Tom
Hodgson.
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