A political hurricane rages in Marlborough behind a cloud of state regulations and the political machinery. The establishment has such tight control that change has become nearly impossible. Outside money and “good ole boy” networking precludes electing new, fresh-thinking candidates from running for office and breeds disinterest within the electorate.
Witness our recent mayoral primary election. The race was tight between three candidates, each earning roughly a third of the votes cast.
First, Samantha Perlman ($51,000), 2 term City Councilor, (1,766 votes)
Second, Christian Dumais ($31,000), 3 term City Councilor, (1,491 votes)
Third, Patrick Hogan, (<$25,000), city employee 30+ years, (1,409 votes)
The election guidelines only allowed the top two candidates to move on to the general election. Hogan was eliminated by a mere 82 votes (0.3) of the 4,462 votes cast. Encouraged by hundreds of texts, emails, phone calls and personal conversations, he considered running a ticker campaign. The logistics of preparing and distributing stickers proved prohibitive in the time available between elections; Hogan withdrew formally at this point.
Unwilling to accept the loss of a viable candidate, “We The People” of Marlborough are waging a write-in campaign. We seek a way to change the political process by working within it. HELP! There are about 26,000 registered voters in Marlborough. If you are one, vote and add YOUR voice to ours. Don’t rely on others. This critical mayoral election will determine how your city moves forward into our future.
Join the hurricane. We believe every voter should vote their own conscience. If you believe that the government should be more accessible to all citizens, then join us and write-in PATRICK HOGAN as Mayor, and DON’T FORGET TO FILL IN THE OVAL NEXT TO YOUR CHOICE.
Join the hurricane instead of being blown around by it.
Gordon Blackler
Marlborough
