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Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation |
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Framingham Candidacy Guide for Dummies |
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| You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Mathatma Ghandhi |
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The process of being a candidate is to be selected, detected,
inspected, injected, and neglected or rejected.
Do you wonder whether you have the right skills? Oratory skills are a key. If you feel somewhat comfortable with your level of organization, and making presentations in public, you're good enough. You have to know what you're talking about when it comes to any financial information. I was often asked if I had the qualifications to be a Selectman. You might want to ask these people what those qualifications are. The best I can guess is that you have to have a higher capacity for abstract thought than a block of wood, Er! I mean most of the current board members. Each time this question comes up, I think of the joke of the guy who wants to buy a computer. He asks the store salesman, "What do I need to know to buy a computer?" The salesman responds, "Can you write a check?". Make up a two sided brochure (flyer) before you enter the fray. It will help in getting signatures for your nomination. It will also help you focus on what you want to accomplish. No matter what you say, you will make enemies. Get used to it. Making enemies is about as right as rain in politics. It's a blood sport. You shouldn't be in it if your too squeamish. |
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| Index | ||||||||||||
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| The Nomination Process | ||||||||||||
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In order to be prepared, you have to start as early as possible,
normally after the end of an election cycle.
The election season starts around November 1 or so. This is when the nomination papers become available from the town clerk. To enter the fray, you will first have to go to the Town Clerk's office and get nomination papers. This form allows you to collect signatures of town residents who will sign it, erroneously believing that you are a pillar of the community and are worthy of the high office which you seek. Each office requires a different number of signatures. Surprisingly enough to me, the higher the office, the less signatures you seem to need. Once you have collected enough signatures (plus some in case some signatures or addresses are unreadable), you return the form to the town clerk. Assuming that the clerk has no complaints, your name will now appear on the town ballot come next election. |
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| Political Financing | ||||||||||||
| The Office of Campaign and
Political Finance (OCPF) is a state agency that makes sure that
your not buying your way into office. They won't stop you,
but they simply want to know. You are required to
file reports to the state on your financing of your campaign.
When you file nomination papers with the town clerk will provide
you with a booklet and the necessary forms that you will need.
There is far more information available at the
OCPF web site.
You can be your own campaign manager, but the OCPF states that you cannot be your own campaign treasurer. When you create your campaign committee, make sure it has the address of your treasurer and not yours. It doesn't look good if checks are sent to your house. Open up a separate bank account with your committee name associated with it and keep your money separate from incoming contributions. If a candidate makes expenditures only from his own personal funds without raising any money, the candidate must report all funds that (s)he expended as a contribution to the campaign on Schedule A and as an expenditure by the the campaign on Schedule B. In kind contributions from the candidate must be reported on Schedule C. You can only dissolve your committee when it has a zero balance. If you have money left over, you can donate it to any charitable institution. I donated my money to the Free Software Foundation Got questions? Send mail to OCPF@cpf.state.ma.us or call 617-727-8352 and talk to one of their General Counsels. Soliciting money from supporters assumes that you have supporters for your particular cause. As you get involved in politics, start building a list of supporters that includes their name, address, phone and email. Hopefully, by the time you need money, you will have enough supporters to contribute to your cause. In my case, since I label myself as a fiscal conservative, I used a list of contributors to the last "No on Override" campaign.
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| Political Signs | ||||||||||||
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Regretably, local elections are in the middle of winter here. If
you intend to use signs, you have to deal with the permafrost around
these parts. Buy a long heavy metal rod for sign placement
in the permafrost. There may not be much snow cover.
Buy some decent gloves.
If you intend to have signs, you'll need about 50-100 at minimum. Wooden stands are a lot more work to build. The wire frames are easier to deal with, but the signs are lower and less prominent. Obviously, you want your signs on busy roads, such as Angelica Drive, Belknap Road, Brook Street Concord Street, Elm Street, Edgell Road, Grant Street, Grove Street, Hamilton Street, Pleasant Street (Rt. 30), Potter Road, Union Avenue, Water Street, Waverly Street (Rt. 135), Winter Street
Simard Press It takes about 30 minutes to create/design a sign, and one week to make them. Use that in your timing/planning.
Another good place for signs is:
Gwennies. If you order signs thru Gwennies, make sure you tell them to deliver it to the Ashland UPS center. Otherwise, they will send it to the Shrewsbury UPS center. Lastly, I suggest: Mesa Vista Press. You are allowed up to three signs at polling places. There are about 14 polling places. Have your signs in place before 0800. Remove them before 0700 the following day. |
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| Newspaper Flyers | ||||||||||||
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The Metrowest Daily News claims to have a circulation of 10,000
within Framingham. A one page (8.5 inch by 11 inch) two-sided
flyer costs $700 to distribute. Be aware that newspaper flyers
usually get tossed without being seen by most people.
Place the election dates on the flyer so your supporters have some clue that an election is coming.
Caroline Duke (Metrowest Daily News flyers) |
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| Rabid School People | ||||||||||||
These people will stop at nothing to increase your taxes.
They strongly believe in the concept of taxing us into prosperity.
Their real goal to is to steal (using a majority vote) money from you
and give it to their kids.
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| Distributing Flyers | ||||||||||||
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You can walk around in neighborhoods and drop off your flyer to every
house you walk by. It's good exercise and you get to see how
other people live. For better or worse than yourself.
Don't use their mailbox. Leave the flyer on their door handle
or behind their mailbox, or in the door opening where it be blown
away by any wind.
You can also try handing out flyers at Stop and Shops or elsewhere. Best to ask for permission first. Ask shop owners if you can leave a sign in their window as an election comes close. If you hand out flyers at Stop and Shop, only give your flyers to incoming shoppers. Outgoing shoppers don't want to be bothered while juggling all their purchases. Regretably, only about 3 shoppers out of 10 will be residents of Framingham. You also may have to cope with any contempt they may show you, just because you're handing out something. Most people don't want to be bothered at all. You can also work the main public library on any given day.
The big bonanza in flyer distribution is the retirement centers.
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| Reporters | ||||||||||||
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Generally, they don't like to deal with numbers. If you
give them numbers, they'll get confused and flustered. A
characteristic of numbers is precision and not having to deal with
numbers allows them to avoid precision. In reality, reporters
were former students who couldn't handle math very well.
It was simply too difficult.
On a side note, you don't want to find yourself in a pissing contest with people who buy ink by the barrel.
The two reporters I had to deal with the most were:
Rob Haneisen
rhaneis@cnc.com 508-626-3882
One side note on Craig MacCormack is that he does not plan well. Whatever he calls you about, he intends to utilize that information in tomorrow's paper. If you don't call him back the same day, you're out. |
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| Religion and Politics | ||||||||||||
| Americans United for Separation of Church and State MA is
an organization emphasizing there should be a strict separation
of church and state.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), MA is an excellent resource for getting guidance on what might be considered constitutional questions. Use their service wisely.
ACLU Massachusetts |
| Polling Places in Framingham | ||
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| Precinct | Location | Address |
| 1 | Hemenway School | 729 Water St. |
| 2 | Potter Road School | 492 Potter Road |
| 3 | King Administration Building | 454 Water Street |
| 4 | Brophy School | 575 Pleasant Street |
| 5 | King Administration Building | 454 Water Street |
| 6 | Juniper Hill School | 29 Upper Joclyn Avenue |
| 7 | Brophy School | 575 Pleasant Street |
| 8 | McCarthy School | 8 Flagg Drive |
| 9 | Juniper Hill School | 29 Upper Joclyn Avenue |
| 10 | Keefe Technical High School | 750 Winter Street |
| 11 | Keefe Technical High School | 750 Winter Street |
| 12 | Memorial Building | 150 Concord Street |
| 13 | McCarthy School | 8 Flagg Drive |
| 14 | Memorial Building | 150 Concord Street |
| 15 | St. Tarcisius School | 560 Waverley Street |
| 16 | Woodrow Wilson School | 169 Leland Street |
| 17 | Woodrow Wilson School | 169 Leland Street |
| 18 | St. Tarcisius School | 560 Waverley Street |
Send comments to:
hjw2001@rcn.com
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