For 11 years, I’ve been a Needham Selectman, and before that I served 9 years on the School Committee. I’m proud of my record and my accomplishments during that time:
* Creating the Senior Circuit Tax Breaker, which provides Property Tax relief for senior citizens statewide
* Establishing the education funding floor, guaranteeing towns a more predictable level of State money for schools
* Leading the effort to bring wind and solar power to Needham
* Introducing a smart growth initiative for downtown Needham and the Business District
To learn more about my campaign, record, and positions visit me at my campaign website. And you can follow me on Facebook and on Twitter as well! Please join the Jerry Wasserman for State Representative group, and please invite your friends to join the group as well.
With your help, I will continue to work on these issues that are important to all of us. On education, economic development, green initiatives, and senior issues, my results and dedication speak for themselves. I understand the impact of state actions on our towns, our schools and our families. As the campaign moves forward we will be looking for volunteers to help us with canvassing, phone banking, and GOTV efforts. If you’re interested in lending your support in any way, please contact my Field Director, Matt Wall, at 781-453-2642 or matt.wall@jerrywasserman.com. With the strong support of the Blue Mass Group community behind me, I know that this will be a successful campaign. You can count on me to be a progressive voice on Beacon Hill. I’ll be very grateful for your support and your vote on Semptember 14th.
Hope to see you all on the campaign trail.
Sincerely,
Jerry Wasserman
I’d love to answer any questions you may have, look forward to talking to everyone!
…for taking the time to stop by the Young Democrats of Massachusetts board meeting tonight.
thanks for allowing me to come by and talk to a great group of Democrats. I hope you enjoyed our discussion about public education, affordable housing and the need to build a green economy as much as I did.
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p>If you have any other questions please feel free to ask them here, call my campaign (781-453-2642) or send them to my campaign (info2010@jerrywasserman.com).
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p>I look forward to your support,
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Jerry Wasserman
How lucky for Needham to have two progressive candidates running to fill Lida harkins seat! I believe the third candidate is a conservative Dem. it will be a spirited campaign. I have also been impressed with Denise Garlick, the top vote getting Selectwoman and former president of Mass Nurses Assoc. She has strong support among Seniors and School parents and has championed their causes in the community for many years. I hope Denise will also post here on Blue Mass group. It is great to know that strong progressives are out there and stepping forward to run!
Correct me if I am wrong about that, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.
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p>I would never support anyone for that seat who did not endorse Peter.
So, MichaelBate, in your anger with those Democrats who did not endorse Smulowitz, you won’t endorse a Democrat in the race for rep.? Funny how the plea to “let bygones be bygones” works in one direction only.
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p>Wasserman and Garlick both declined to publicly support Smulowitz, I think. I don’t know about the third guy in this primary, but if he followed form, you won’t have a candidate against the GOP. How does that make you better than the friends of Lida?
I do not blindly support a candidate simply because he or she has a “D” beside their name on the ballot.
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p>This is not the first time that I have refused to vote for a Democratic candidate. I voted for Frank Hatch back in 1978 when he ran against Ed J. (for “Jet Noise”) King. Hatch had the endorsement of several liberal groups, including Americans for Democratic Action.
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p>I do not see how anyone, faced with a choice between Peter, the most liberal candidate in the race, and Ross, who presents the standard Republican line and supports expanded gambling, can present themselves as liberal.
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p>I don’t wish to rehash the ugly behavior of certain Needham “Democrats” but I feel strongly that their refusal to endorse Peter should carry a price.
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p>If Glodis wins the primary, I will probably vote for a liberal third party candidate. Other liberal posters on this site have said the same.
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p>I feel strongly about criminal justice issues. I am disgusted with anyone who supports life without parole for a disabled 15 year old. So I will not vote for Gerry Leone.
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Unless they say otherwise I generally assume that candidates of one party support their own partisans. Lack of enthusiasm doesn’t make one less liberal in their own right, especially given the reaction many had to Peter’s candidacy. Your attitude is petty in the extreme IMO.
Were you disappointed in the Hillary Clinton PUMAs? I sure was. Were you disappointed with Joe Lieberman when he endorsed John McCain? I sure was. I really don’t understand why this position is so “extreme.”
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p>Look, I will surely support the Democratic nominee for the 13th Norfolk seat. But would it have been nice to see Rep. Harkins and the Needham selectman support the Democratic nominee for Scott Brown’s state senate seat? Sure would. Do I think less of them for not doing so? eh. Would I have thought more of them if they had done so? Definitely.
I assume by your comment that you do not “wish to rehash the ugly behavior of certain Needham “Democrats””…you are referring to Peter Smulowitz and his more than ugly behavior in the Democratic primary and deceptive and outrageous smear campaign to malign Lida Harkins. I don’t care how “purely liberal” a Democratic candidate is, if they subscribe to that low road character assassinating behavior, I’d rather stay home than endorse them.
However much you might not like it, every accusation Peter made about Rep. Harkins was true. She DID take campaign money from three indicted former speakers. She WAS a top lieutenant to Sal DiMasi. Furthermore, she could easily have ended the whole issue by giving the money in question back, or just donating it to charity, as is standard practice for most able politicians who end up with a donation from someone who turns out to be shady.
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p>I know you think that Peter’s pointing these things out is somehow cheating. It’s not. I happen to believe that ALL elected officials should be held responsible for their records, even beloved hometown state reps.
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p>The truth is Peter ran an honorable campaign and beat a candidate who, from her own actions after the fact, seemed to feel she was entitled to her parties’ nomination.
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p>I don’t care how many years you’ve been in leadership on Beacon Hill. Every time you go to the voters, you’ve got to earn it again. That’s how our system works.
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p>Remember the old adage don’t shoot the messenger? Well don’t me mad at Smulowitz for pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. The guy won fair and square, and the party for the most part pulled behind him.
The voters settled it…Peter’s ugly and deceptive campaign lost in the end. his victory over lida harkins was very short lived.
My connection to Smulowitz’s campaign is that I was a fairly active volunteer. I thought he was a damn fine candidate, and so I worked pretty hard for him. As for money, never gave a penny, and never received one.
That’s why I will support the Democratic nominee for this Rep seat, regardless of who that person is-they will surely do a better job representing my values than Republican John O’Leary, who served in the Romney administration.
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p>Still, it would have been great to see Rep. Harkins and her supporters stand up for the candidate who clearly was a better fit for their values. It may not have been decisive, but it sure would have been nice. I would have worked my butt off for Lida Harkins had she been our nominee, event though I disagree with some of her politics, most notably on casinos. Why? Because she is a helluva lot closer to my politics than State Senator Richard Ross.
‘Nuf said, issued closed.
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p>In fy 2010 Needham was reimbursed at a rate of 16% under chapter 70. The fact that Needham was not appropriately funded at 17.5% cost Needham $600k +. I’m guessing that the fy 11 # is higher. In the meantime, Natick, Marblehead, Lynnfield, etc. are all paid at the promised 17.5%. How do you get this “suburban funding gap” issue fixed?
So while the majority of suburban communities are at the requisite 17.5%, Needham is at 15.07%. Looks like the “suburban funding gap” for Needham is an astonishing $1 million plus. Wow!