There’s more at his electoral website.
“In December of 1987, after losing three friends to alcohol and drug related deaths that year, I called several detox centers and rehabs looking for help. At 32 years old, I felt like I was dying as well. Usually my calls were met with the typical response “we have no beds” “no rooms” “over booked” “there’s a waiting list’ or questions regarding insurance.
“Fortunately I called Cahill III at the Cambridge City Hospital and said to the gentleman who answered the phone “I need help.” His response was immediate and changed my life, “you called the right place.” I spent 7 days including Christmas at Cahill III. Got out, prayed a lot, moved to NY to focus on stand up comedy and sobriety. A year later to the week, December 15th 1988, I appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The other guest was Bob Hope. I believe in miracles.
“I am entering politics in the midst of our current national and local substance abuse crisis in large part to ensure that whenever anyone in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts makes a call for help the answer will always be ‘you called the right place.'”
Yay! No one should have to go to prison to dry out from a substance addiction, or get a roof over their head, or because they are mentally ill and there are no beds [last time I hecked 70% of the inmates in Framingham Women’s Prison had major mental health diagnoses, addictions, or both and no where else to go. What is this, 1740?
Jimmy Tingle versus Quentin Palfrey from Weston. No contest.
Judging people on where they live (not, btw, where Mr. Palfrey is from) is lame. Judge the candidates on their positions, their character, their past works, their references. You know, things that matter.
I am not judging the candidates. I am commenting on the optics. A campaign is a marathon, but I would much rather be plotting strategy for Jimmy in this race.