WHITMAN GOP IN THE NEWS
Whitman: South Shore GOP hold 4th annual barbecue BY – POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2012POSTED IN: LOCAL NEWS
The South Shore GOP barbecue was held this weekend in Whitman. The annual event, now in its fourth year gives residents a chance to meet and interact with local, state and national republican candidates running for office. The gathering also featured various speakers like Plymouth County GOP chairman Vince Cogliano, County Commissioner candidate Dan Pollatta and State Representative Geoff Diehl. Joe Selvaggi, a candidate for the 8th Congressional District says he was impressed by the people who spoke at the event. “We had some very powerful speakers and I was once again re-energized to be a Republican in Massachusetts,” said Selvaggi. “We heard from Les Gosule and he’s living proof that the good guys win once in a while.” Selvaggi said he was inspired by Gosule, who spent 13 years advocating for the passage of Melissa’s Law, which will keep repeat offenders off the street. Whitman Republican Town Committee Chairman Brian Bezanson says another aspect of the barbecue is the awards ceremony. During yesterday’s event, state committee man John Cafferty received the lifetime achievement award, Lloyd Plasse was posthumously inducted into the Century Club and Les Gosule was named the Citizen of the Year.
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| Written by Meaghan Glassett WHITMAN EXPRESS | |
Thursday, 04 November 2010 12:28
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Republican Geoff Diehl supporters gathered at the Whitman VFW Tuesday night chanting “Go Geoff Go” as the new state representative entered his victory party.
Diehl claimed the seat of State Representative of the Seventh Plymouth County in the election, ousting incumbent Allen McCarthy.
Whitman voters cast 3,055 votes for Diehl and 2,305 for McCarthy, according to election results.
Whitman had a 56.4 percent turnout at the polls. The town has 9,648 registered voters, 219 absentee ballots were included in the election result totals.
Diehl’s supporters said they felt Diehl’s slogan is what the state needs “New Voice and Smart Choice.”
Supporter Bob Packer said what was important to him was that Diehl took the time to talk with him and explain the issues.
“He is true to form,” Packer added.
Whitman Selectman Brian Bezanson said he is sure that Diehl will represent Whitman well.
“He definitely earned this. His victory is based on the last 18 months. Geoff has worked harder than any candidate I’ve seen and he really connects with voters,” Bezanson said.
He added that when Diehl turns his headquarters on Washington Street into a district office, he will be focused on what the three towns need rather than the state issues.
“I’m very excited to be able to work with Geoff on the issues that affect Whitman,” he added. “He is already intuitive of those needs and can hit the ground running.”
Alex Drosos said Diehl is the, “Best candidate with the best supporters.”
“He will keep his word and stick by you and be a great state representative,” Drosos said during a speech.
While addressing his supporters Diehl said, “We’re not done, this is just the start.”
He said the first thing that needs to be done is working with the other party to reduce politics and get back to the business of what is important in town.
Diehl said as a member of the Finance Committee he has seen firsthand the town’s budget cut, and he wants to try to make a change at the Statehouse.
During his speech, Diehl thanked numerous people who helped him the past two years.
Diehl said the first thing he plans to work on is jobs.
“I want to get the campaign office converted into a district office to start to deal with the town issues,” he said.
The second thing Diehl said he would like to focus on is working with the leadership at the Statehouse. He said he wants to relay what his platform was about and start taking steps to enact legislation he feels is critical for the district and the state.
“I would like to thank Allen McCarthy for four years of service to the district,” Diehl said. “I hope to carry on in the same spirit he did in working for the people of Abington, Whitman and East Bridgewater.”
Diehl also took Abington 3,150 over McCarthy’s 2,878. However, McCarthy won East Bridgewater by 600 votes, but lost to Diehl by 425 votes overall, according to unofficial results given by McCarthy’s campaign manager Larry Roache.
“It was a tough race. I congratulate Geoff on his hardworking campaigning,” McCarthy said. “I would also like to thank all the people from my campaign and district who supported me.”
McCarthy said he was proud to serve the people of Whitman, Abington and East Bridgewater during his tenure. “I served during difficult times; can I say that is what affected the results? I’m not sure,” McCarthy said.
He added that he was happy to see some reforms made on Beacon Hill while he was serving.
During the election Roache stressed the get out and vote effort, “We are fortunate to have enough volunteers to give all three towns coverage and visibility at the polling locations, he said. The visibility is important with the signs, but we also have to know people are getting out there to vote.”
McCarthy and his challenger Diehl also participated in three debates. Roache said he felt the debates went well for McCarthy.
“He was able to discuss issues and reinforce his belief of what the legislature has done to protect local aid in East Bridgewater, Whitman and Abington,” Roache added.
Overall the Election Day polls were steady. Town Clerk Pam Martin said there was a line out the door when the polls first opened.
Ruth and Patti Bump came out to support family member and former Whitman resident Suzanne Bump in her race for auditor.
Many residents exiting the polls shared why they felt their vote was important.
Gary and Ginny Walker said that those who don’t vote don’t have the right to complain about things. They added that they feel the issues that were important in this election are jobs, taxes and immigration.
“I feel like it is my duty to vote,” Deb Murphy said. “If you don’t vote then you don’t have a voice.”
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| Written by Meaghan Glassett WHITMAN EXPRESS | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, 04 November 2010 12:22
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Not all Whitman-Hanson Regional High School students may be old enough to vote, but they were given a chance to do so in a mock election hosted by the W-H Mock Trial Team last week.
Business teacher Lydia Nelson has been supervising the Mock Trial Team for seven years and said she has held elections since she began.
During the recent presidential election, she said the school had a 75 percent participation rate.
This year the school has had a 53 percent participation rate. Nelson said she felt the state election was really a “big deal” and included three major candidates for the governor’s race.
The Mock Trial Team joined forces with Bob Rogers’ Introduction to Mass Communications class to interview candidates for the state representative races in Whitman and Hanson. The interviews can be viewed by visiting SchoolTube.com and searching Whitman-Hanson.
During the interviews students in the TV class took notes and asked the candidates questions.
“My class really enjoyed having an opportunity to get a better handle on the issues and meet the men who want to represent us,” Rodgers said.
Before the interviews Rodgers told the students it was important to discuss their views with their parents and see what some of their thoughts might be about the candidates.
Rodgers said during the state representative candidates’ interviews the students asked questions that related to how things might affect their lives.
“All the candidates provided positive feedback and enjoyed interacting with the students,” Rodgers said.
Throughout the week leading up to the mock election, the class interviewed one state representative candidate each day. Brittany Heinricher said participating in filming the interviews made her anxious to be able to vote in a real election. Heinricher and her sister Brianna said what they took away from the experience is how important it is for students to be educated on what is going on in the government.
“I always heard about teachers being cut and now I see why it happens and what can be done to stop it at the state level,” Heinricher said.
The goal of the Mock Trial Team for the election was to increase understanding of the voting process, promote a discussion of the issues and candidates and to stimulate informed participation in the election process.
On Wednesday, Oct. 27 the students had the opportunity to vote for in the governor’s race, the state representative race and the three state ballot questions.
Nelson said it took a day and a half for the Mock Trial Team to count all the votes. Approximately 1270 ballots were distributed in the school and 140 ballots were returned blank.
The students chose Independent Tim Cahill for governor. Cahill received 238 votes, Republican Charlie Baker had 217 votes and Democrat Deval Patrick trailed with 171 votes. Green Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein received 46 votes.
In the state representative race students selected Republican Geoff Diehl for state representative. Diehl received 186 votes, just seven more than state representative incumbent Allen McCarthy, who received 179 votes.
Republican and incumbent Dan Webster was also chosen as a state representative by the students. Webster received 184 votes, and challenger Josh Cutler received 152 votes.
Students voted yes on Questions 1, 2 and 3.
Nelson said she would like to think the students of Whitman-Hanson will grow up to be active voters in their communities.
She said the business elective classes she teaches are geared toward preparing students with 21st century skills and real world experiences. She said the mock election is a perfect example of preparing the students for the real world.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the host site for the mock election. The library provides curriculum materials and activities to assist teachers throughout the state in preparing students to vote.
The National Student/Parent Mock Election actively engages students in state and national campaigns to emphasize the importance of voting and the power of their ballots, according to a written statement released by the JFK Library Foundation.
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