To the Voters of the 12th Bristol District:
I am proud to be running for State Representative in the 12th Bristol District (now Lakeville, Berkley, 4A and 4B in East Taunton, and Precincts 2,4,and 5 in Middleborough). I am an independent thinking Democrat, who believes in fiscal responsibility, a social “live and let live” policy, and I absolutely demand transparency and accountability from our government.
I have practiced law for more than 20 years (including 10+ years on Wall Street), and I was a Selectman in Middleboro from 2004-2009. Since 1992, I have been fighting for individual rights and against government over extension of its powers. As Selectman, I consistently opposed property tax increases, I opposed overrides, and I opposed new fees on the citizens of Middleboro until a responsible fiscal plan was offered. I also was a key player in the negotiation of the casino project between the Mashpee Wampanoag and the Town of Middleboro.
Even as a private citizen I have advocated for foreclosure reform in this State to give homeowners a right to a day in court in the event of a foreclosure — a right they do not currently have. I drafted H3282 (which grants homeowners that right) for submission, and testified before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to support its passage. I also successfully fought to strengthen our mandated reporter laws to include school bus drivers as mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect.
I have been representing the rights of veterans for many years, including helping them obtain benefits for their service connected disabilities, More recently, I have been fighting to have the Agent Orange Equity Act adopted by Congress, so that Vietnam Veterans who served in the Blue Water Navy, and their dependents, can finally be compensated for their exposure to Agent Orange. I also serve as a payee for several 100% disabled veterans.
I believe I am the most qualified candidate to fight for our interests at the Statehouse. I have been fighting for our rights for years–not just before a run for office. I would like the opportunity to use my years of experience to fight for all of us on Beacon Hill, to regain our financial independence, to begin to grow our savings again, and to pay less for a government bureaucracy that is far larger than it should be. I also want to change the Open Meeting Law to include our Legislature, so that we can finally see the business being done on Beacon Hill.
I would greatly appreciate your support of my candidacy for State Representative for the 12th Bristol District, because I would like to fight for all of us, to make our lives better and more affordable. I want to represent People before Party.
For more information on my candidacy go to www.votebond.com
Respectfully yours,
Adam M. Bond
As a Middleborough resident, I have seem Adam fight the hard fights. As a Selectman, he was upfront and available throughout the negotiations and conflicts that our town suffered through with the Mashpee Wampanoags and the Casino. I don’t agree with him on every issue, but I appreciate his strength of character, the courage of his convictions, and his tremendous work ethic. I think he will be an asset to the House of Representatives and to the region he will represent.
As a Middleborough resident, I’ve seen Adam give the Mashpee Wampanoag everything they wanted in negotiations, and push others into the deal because “he was a lawyer and understood these issues”. A short time later, he turned completely against the binding proposal after it was too late, then capping his brief career in town politics by quitting the board of selectmen in a huff. Since then, he’s placed campaign signs for most prominent Republican candidates for town office in the windows of his law office.
PS: It would also be nice to see Adam Bond at a Democratic Party event someday. He’s made one town committee meeting in several years, and no events with a wider scope.
This is a somewhat odd comment. The Mashpee signed an agreement which was too expensive for them, so they went to several other venues to find a cheaper deal. The contract that was negotiated is now being used as a template in a number of other Towns looking at the possibility of hosting an Indian casino.
I also never turned away from the deal, I fought to reopen the deal to do further negotiations, and the then sitting Board of Selectmen, including Marsha Brunelle, said that they would not do so, because the Tribe is our “friends.” I resigned when 4 of the 5 members of the Board had decided that the interests of the Tribe were more important than the interests of Middleborough voters, ignoring the advice of their counsel that a renegotiation should be had. I was not willing to sit on a Board that so clearly sold out to the Tribe. See the Resignation Video on http://www.votebond.com
As for signs in my window, I support the better candidate, not the party he comes from. I also will put signs in my window for anyone who asks.
It is the Democratic way to support free speech, and I do.
…put a sign in your window?
No. I am in this race, and was not a candidate in the races you are referring to.
Thank you for your explanation of why you quit the board. If you believe that 80% of the State House votes in a way you don’t agree, will you also quit that job?
I’m wondering if this will this be your policy as state representative, and which Republican candidates will you support for roles at the State House. I only say this because the “better candidate” has historically been Republican, from what I’ve seen. Have you chosen between Scott Brown or Elizabeth Warren for Senate?
Let’s review:
– In the summer of 2007, Bond participated in negotiations with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and their investors to produce an intergovernmental agreement for an off-reservation tribal casino and sovereign nation. During these negotiations, he helped develop language, in section 22B of that agreement, to compel sitting and future Selectmen to support and actively work to assist the tribe to obtain any and all approvals needed to complete the casino project. Bond responded to public outcry that the clause might compel selectmen to forward the Tribe’s agenda over the towns’, with blatantly misleading comments.
(http://youtu.be/OywIIP_OM6Y if you can’t see the embedded video)
– The first time the Tribe rejected a contract proposal, Bond quickly folded and developed a proposal much more favorable to the Tribe, and not to the town.
– The final proposal Bond helped negotiated required that the Tribe pay the town only an annual payment of $20,000 toward the mitigation of gambling addition. This and other aspects of the intergovernmental agreement severely under compensated the town for potential impacts.
– Bond and his fellow selectmen never made any effort to present a balanced debate on the casino issue to the public. The few public forums that were held consisted only of selectmen, casino interests and/or Indian gaming lawyers. During these public forums casino opponents were routinely gaveled to silence or ridiculed.
– Bond aggressively rushed the timeline for a referendum vote on the casino, deeply limiting the amount of time that Middleboro’s own hand-selected casino task force had been given to study and report back on the issue, and giving voters only a few days to study the final agreement before voting on it.
– During this time, Bond’s abrasive behavior did not help an already tense situation in Middleboro or surrounding communities. His many notable public comments, such as referring to casino opponents as ‘braying mules’ displayed a decided lack of diplomacy. He also managed to alienate other towns in the region with statements such as, he didn’t care the casino trash went, “as long as it didn’t stay in Middleboro.”
– Bond’s focus then and after, was always on ‘the deal’ – the intergovernmental agreement between the Tribe and Middleboro. He was content to believe that ‘mitigation’ could salve any wound the town might suffer due to a casino, seemingly unable to understand that many of the same people he was elected to represent did not put a price tag on their quality of life.
– Despite his self-styled image as an experienced attorney and savvy negotiator, boasting of bringing ‘sophisticated business practices’ to Middleboro, Bond repeatedly neglected opportunities to educate himself on many important aspects of the issue.
– Prior to the town vote on a casino, an 84 year old Mashpee Wampanoag elder named Ameila Bingham attempted to warn the Board of Selectmen about then-tribal chairman Glenn Marshall’s suspicious financial dealings. The board and Bond managed to strenuously ignore Mrs. Bingham’s warnings (and her) to it’s eventual detriment, because Marshall would eventually would be charged with making illegal campaign contributions and embezzlement. But in 2007, Bond dismissed the tribal elder’s warning and the writing on the wall as irrelevant. “We all have skeletons in the closet,” he said. “I still trust the man.”
– Bond’s various ascertains about aspects of Indian gaming law and Federal Indian policy have repeatedly been proven inaccurate. Despite this, and even while much of the town still was still against hosting a casino, he continued to wear a baseball hat around town, with the words, “It’s Coming”, referring to a casino.
– At the now-infamous outdoor town meeting, Middleboro voters, convinced by Bond that they could get a casino anyway, voted in favor (although by slightly less than a 2/3rd majority) of signing an agreement with the Mashpee Tribe, while in a 2nd non-binding vote, voted “overwhelmingly” (to quote the Town Moderator) that they didn’t want a casino at all. However, when residents asked if this information could be communicated to the Dept. of the Interior, Bond declared it “irrelevant”.
– He would later, on his professional web site, actually write that he’d handled “the political marketing of the casino concept”, claim to be an expert in gaming law, and was willing to provide a service called “political engineering”. This was all while he was a sitting selectman for the town of Middleboro.
– In May of 2008, Mass Highway held a meeting in Middleboro regarding plans to make much needed safety improvements to Rte. 44, where it was revealed that in the previous three years alone there had been over 100 accidents along the Middleboro stretch of 44. Still, Adam Bond asked if there was anyway these improvements could be delayed to accommodate the Tribe’s construction time line. In fact, the reason I attended to this meeting was because I knew Adam would be there to represent the Tribe, not the better interests of the Town or surrounding communities, and therefore wanted offer my support for the safety improvements.
– While still on the Board of Selectmen, Bond started a blog, responding to criticism of his role in the casino issues by comparing his critics to racists, Nazis and the mafia.
But don’t just take it from me. The Editorial Board of the Brockton Enterprise had made it’s own insights on Bond’s character.
– In the ensuing years, Adam Bond has claimed that his stance on the casino issue was driven by his steadfast belief that a tribal casino in Middleboro was inevitable. Clearly, it was not. He should have done his homework, like some of us did, instead of gulping the Kool-Aid.
Bond does not have strength of character, the courage of his convictions, or a tremendous work ethic. IMO, he just has a big fat ego and wants badly to be in power.
Normally it’s just a “hi I’m running” and people give you a “go get’m.”
Gladys- just want to say your posts are among the highest quality on this site. Always enjoy reading your detailed and well written analysis, but this one was the best.
Honestly, after he (very dramatically) walked off the political stage in 2009 I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I’d never have to think about, or keep an eye on Adam Bond ever again. Needless to say his posting did not make my day.
it upsets me that you guys bash him . i would like you to know that for 10 plus years he is the only person i could get to listen and help the citizens of mass on the mortgage issues .and he has gone with me to Boston several times in fact he drafted and submitted a bill protecting the citizens of mass against the courts and the dirty mortgage company’s that for 40 plus years have been breaking the laws of this great nation were still fighting we have court again the 25th of this month and he has been doing this for me for free the whole time that’s a good man so please just call him sit down with him talk to him get to know him .not just talk and slander him .im sure you wont agree with him on everything but he is a good man and father & friend and he really cares about the state and us just hear him out let me know if we can meet somewhere in the middle and discuss this
Krsrepos, I’m truly glad that your experience with Adam Bond has been a positive one. That’s super. But mine has not been. There are things I did not write here, but could have, that would reveal an even darker side to Mr. Bond’s nature.
By the way, it is well known that Bond tries to periodically clean up his image. And, as I recall, he made sure that there were plenty of pictures taken of his recent ‘heroic actions’, prior to announcing his run for State Rep.
I do think Adam Bond enjoys being perceived as a leader, but his words and actions have demonstrated that he is unsuited to public office. There is NOTHING to prevent Bond from helping you or the citizens of the 12th Bristol. I think that’s great. But he doesn’t have to do it from the State House.
Take the situation in Foxboro. While experiencing the casino issue for themselves, Foxboro selectmen did not encourage casino proponents to harass and ridicule casino opponents. Bond, on the other hand did. He went to parties with them, had ‘secret meetings’ with them, and brought them on his radio show so they could do it for a larger audience.
Foxoboro selectmen did not become cheerleaders of the casino project, despite the fact that they may have been in favor of it. Bond, as you can see, was the ‘biggest proponent’ of the project, rushed it unnecessarily, refused to listen to opponents, called the 2nd casino vote irrelevant, lied on public television about a clause in the IGA that he personally helped to write, and in the process caused a lot of toxic stress for the residents not only of Middleboro, but surrounding towns as well. There are folks in Lakeville, Halifax, Carver,and Plympton and beyond who can tell you the same things that I have about Bond.
And when things got tough, he resigned – something he bizarrely tried to spin into being a sign of courage.
In the end even casino proponents recognized that I had been right about Bond.
Private citizen Bond, the one you know, may in fact be a terrific advocate for the public good. But Bond in public service would be a disaster. And that’s why I have spoken up.
Gee! I’m sure going to rush to support a candidate who called casino opponents BRAYING DONKEYS!
And my vote for someone dumb enough to call Middleboro voters STUPID in front of a microphone he didn’t realize was turned on is something I’m anxious to waste.
And then there’s the time when it was finally revealed that Glenn Marshall had lied about his military service, had a rape conviction and a drug conviction and Mr. Bond’s quote was ‘Everyone has skeletons in their closet.”
You’re not in Manhattan, Toto! People you insult remember!
And there’s the sleazy back room deal to become Town Manager, a position for which he was unqualified – both by personality and education.
So much negative history and so little interest!
Mr. Bond confides his pompous assessment of others to you, while he also blabs criticism of you, never realizing that it’s all repeated.
Is this a leader?
I doubt we’ll be seeing a lot of BMG love for this guy, given the very articulate and well-written, passionate comments all around against him.
Suspect he’ll stop posting here as well.
A netroots strategy is not something you develop in a campaign’s back office, guy. We rather like substance and someone committed to the truth. And generally someone with integrity. Wondering what the heck possessed you to post here in the first place…
In February, 2008, Mr. Bond likened casino opponents to Nazis.
His comments were reported in Media Nation, by Dan Kennedy and the Cape Cod Times, and widely circulated.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080309/NEWS/803090341
Here:
This is what Dan Kennedy had to say in MediaNation:
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Mr. Bond removed his comment, but offered no acknowledgement that it was a questionable analogy. Mr. Bond claimed a complaint had been filed with a non-existent Jewish organization.
Disregarding the wide circulation of his offensive comments, Mr. Bond posted the following untrue statement on his CoffeeShopTalk show blog:
I telephoned both anti-defamation [JDL and ADL] organizations and no one was aware of this. Did I miss an organization?
This was posted at the time:
I had a similar conversation with the ADL.
There’s more that I’ll spare you from reading. It was endless! To fabricate such an outrageous tale is baffling to say the least.
I’ll save my vote for a qualified candidate!
adam doing something about mg&e ripping us off…http://www.votebond.com/march-20-2012-brockton-enterprise-on-the-ge-meeting.html
Adam has helped me stay in my home and been a great friend to me and my family. I trust him with my kids, who he takes fishing, to the circus, to the ice capades, and other events. He loves my kids and they love him.
I have watched him go poor helping veterans, foreclosure victims, and other people that could not afford to pay a lawyer. I watched him work his ass off as a Selectman, and I was with him when he struggled with the casino issue. He gave blood, sweat, and tears to this Town, and I know he would do the same for the District.
He was fighting mad when the anti casino people took shots at his three year old daughter and said she should be a stripper in a casino. He stood his ground and outed those people. So if you have a problem that he gets mad and fights back when you attack his family and his business, because you disagree with his politics, then maybe you shouldn’t have done it. Shame on you, and shame on your trying to make this only about a casino, when he is so much more than that.
You talk about his ego and integrity, and you don’t even know the man. You haven’t sat and spoken with him, and you haven’t broken bread with him. You sit behind your computer and throw stones at someone who has spent an entire career helping people. What public office have you been brave enough to run for and hold Ms. Tufts. MiddleboroReview, you ran and lost because you couldn’t get enough people to support you. Adam ran, won and served. I am one citizen who believes that Middleboro is better off having had him in office and having him as a citizen of this Town. also he quit the board of selectman for the simple reason that the other board members were defending the tribe and not us the people of the town .so stop bashing the man and go sit down with him and find out the truth
A single person posted a tasteless comment on an unmoderated discussion forum about Mr. Bond’s daughter. [And you’ve gotten the content of the comment wrong.]
That hardly justified Adam’s over reaction or painting an entire group with a broad brush. Nor did it justify the divisiveness Mr. Bond created.
Nor was Mr. Bond’s business attacked. You have carefully ignored Mr. Bond’s lies posted above.
Leadership is not about dividing, but rather about uniting which Mr. Bond is incapable of accomplishing…..well, unless it suits his purposes.
Once upon a time, a Casino Shill entered the town hall. Finding the hall filled with both sides of the issue since we all know each other, this Shill called the proponents “Indian Lovers,” almost provoking a physical fight.
The man didn’t live in town.
Victoria was off and running accusing Middleboro residents who happened to oppose the Slot Barn of racism, with Adam louder still.
So, how do we know that man was a Casino Shill?
Because no one knew him, never saw him again and he was too stupid to look up the town hall on the PTWS (pathetic town web site) that even at that time displayed the 2-toned brown town hall.
In the parking lot, the man asked a Middleboro resident ‘is this town hall?’
I’m sorry you missed the goal of the Recall which was to increase voter registration and participation, increase the number of those who participate.
Voter turnout for annual town elections was previously ~ 3-5% – a rather pathetic display. And town meetings had to be postponed for lack of a quorum. That is no longer true as a consequence of the Recall.
Everyone needs a friend who admires Mr. Bond’s self-promotion and difficulty with the truth.
Please re-read the posts above.
Of that single tasteless comment that was posted in a discussion forum, it was promptly removed upon the forum moderator’s return from vacation.
Unfortunately, when you seek the spotlight, comments that are perceived as offensive are sometimes made. Mr. Bond’s thin-skin was exposed.
Mr. Bond instead employed that comment to create mass hysteria against those ‘big bad casino opponents,’ along with ‘feel sorry for me! my family has been attacked!’
When Mr. Bond chose to vent his anger during a Selectmen’s meeting which was wholly inappropriate, his carefully worded diatribe included me even though I was fully uninvolved.
Coming from Manhattan, it is plausible that Mr. Bond could spread untruths and criticisms about others to impress his audience without recourse.
Regrettably, Mr. Bond hasn’t figured out that Middleboro is NOT Manhattan and eventually those comments are repeated to his targets. Yes, I know much of the untruths and hate-filled comments Mr. Bond has spread about me which I can only consider as rather pathetic.
This is not leadership, nor is it conduct worthy of elected office.
During the height of the Mashpee Wampanoag Follies, I was receiving phone calls from out-of-town friends inquiring about the bizarre comments or Mr. Bond and his wife.
To post this which is wholly untrue and rather bizarre:
defines Mr. Bond’s fantasy world.
When trash like this is posted or spewed by Mr. Bond, few would take the time I did to call the JDL and the ADL to ascertain the facts. Your gullibility and intellectual laziness is what Mr. Bond counts on.
Mr. Bond will always have admirers, and krsrepos, it was kind of you to step forward at Mr. Bond’s request. That’s you and Helen voting for him!
Not all of us are so easily fooled.
As gladys posted above, the stories of direct experience with Mr. Bond are endless, but few have interest in boring this audience with same and enumerating Mr. Bond’s antics and insults.
Being a rather small community, many are aware of attempts by Mr. Bond to collect ‘dirt’ about his opponent or solicit self-promotion – especially that out-of-town breakfast he must have believed would go unnoticed. Maybe Maksy should re-think his decisions.
Mr. Bond’s behavior is not worthy of public office.
Adam, I would recommend that you cease soliciting testimonials or we will bore the hell out of BMGers with the crap you’ve pulled.
Middleboro’s favorite nosy neighbor said it best about this matter —
The Book of Adam
Regrettably, there is little about this issue that fulfills BMGs admonition to be witty.
Little can be said about a candidate for public office who is perpetually PMS.
Phew!
I have known Adam Bond for approximetly three years. In that time I have gotten to know Adam as an honest man. He is willing to put the time to get the job done and done very well! He is a person, who can blend in to any situation from growing up on Long Island to holding “court” at the local Honey Dew.
He has helped Middleboro High School students by providing internships in his law office. He has been a mentor, teacher, and an example of how a lawyer should be. He has even extended himself to allowing handicapped students in his office. He had taken this student in and allowed him to work in his office, see him argue in court, and see Adam’s radio show live.
Adam is a stand up man and we need to support his candidacy! Let’s get behind Adam, now, for a change for the better!
Since you have ‘known Adam Bond for approximately three years,’ you clearly missed the opportunity to witness Mr. Bond thrust into the spotlight and presented with an opportunity to lead.
Instead of leading, Mr. Bond called Casino Opponents braying donkeys, terrorists, compared them to Nazis and much else.
Not realizing he was in front of an open microphone, did you miss the part when he called voters stupid?
Then, threatened with losing the Chairmanship of the Board of Selectmen, he concocted a theatrical excuse to make a grand exit.
If he didn’t get his way in the legislature, would he storm out of office as well?
And then there was the pursuit of the backroom deal when he was assured he would be Town Manager, a position for which he was wholly unqualified.
Clearly, Mr. Bond has been forced to change his public personae in search of the guaranteed public paycheck. Not in my district!
Time to smell the coffee, dlennon! You’ve missed some history.
you might consider reading previous comments.
Maybe this isn’t your venue.
solicited ‘dirt’ on Keiko Orrall.
Rep. Orrall is fully aware of it, I have been told.
Is the candidate worthy of office?