Posted on 06/05/2008 6:53:23 PM PDT by buccaneer81
Athol Republican begins race against Donelan Recorder Staff
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Published: Thursday, June 05, 2008 Republican Robert E. Parks of Athol has formally announced his candidacy to challenge Democratic incumbent Christopher Donelan's re-election bid to the Second Franklin District seat in the state House of Representatives.
The 49-year-old former graphics designer at the Fox television network in California, and a former producer and production manager at Athol-Orange Community Television, abandoned an effort to circulate nomination papers in 2006, saying he didn't have enough time to gather the 150 signatures needed.
But Parks, a Boston native who moved to Athol in 2003, said he has gathered enough signatures to place his name on the GOP ballot this time.
'A lot of people liked my ideas but said they wouldn't vote for a Republican because they wanted to send a message to George Bush on the war,' said Parks. 'My main retort to them was, 'How many mortgage payments did that message help you pay? How many meals did that message put on the dinner table?'
A freelance television production consultant, Parks writes a column and maintains a Web site,
http://blackandright.mndnet.com
on which he posts videos and writing on 'politics, pop culture and commentary.'
His main campaign issue is to bring economic development to the area, but he encourages independence from Boston-centric state government, which he says is more interested in serving the interests of Boston.
'We have concerns out here, and we send our tax dollars to Boston, but the only thing we seem to get back consistently are sex offenders,' said Parks. 'Our roads need work, our schools need work. At some point, we need to say, 'We're on our own out here. We've got to find a way to fix our own schools and to get our own jobs, and to bring businesses to our area. I've got a plan to do that.'
His plan calls for applying to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to declare the six-town Second Franklin District an urban empowerment zone, to provide tax incentives to businesses and ease regulations so they could expand here.
'We don't need the blessing of Beacon Hill to implement this,' he said, contrasting this approach to the 'field of dreams mentality' of developing industrial parks to attract businesses to the area.
'There's no economic incentive for businesses on (Route) 128 to come out here,' he said. 'If we become an economic empowerment zone, we'd become one of most business friendly areas of the state.'
Parks said that rather than looking to the state to help build new high schools in Athol and Greenfield, his approach would be to go to corporations and ask, 'How'd you like to build a school?' They can donate money, write it off on their taxes. There are businesses all around the country that have disposable income.'
He said, 'As a Republican, I'm not going to have a whole lot of say on what goes on on Beacon Hill. For that reason, I'm going to spend more of my time in the district, trying to talk to various businesses that the towns select. I'm going to go to two major corporations per town within my first two years. I'm all about utilizing the power of the office to get things done on a local basis, until the day ever comes when the state becomes politically a little more competitive.'
While living in southern California from 1990 to 2002, Parks ran for a congressional seat from that state's 24th District, but dropped out of the race. He ran unsuccessfully for chairman of the Massachusetts Republican party in 2006 and now says he does not plan to seek its help to win election.
'They don't have a good track record of helping candidates get elected,' he said, adding that his attitude is, 'We're on our own out here.'
Parks studied graphic design at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and journalism at Suffolk University, has worked as a promotions assistant for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and served in the Navy, from which he was honorably discharged in 1989.
You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis@recorder.comor (413) 772-0261 Ext. 269
Go get ‘em Bob!
Ping!
Mr. Parks served in the military? Wow...good for you! I appreciate your service but you know of course how rare this makes you among Massachusetts Republicans. Almost as rare as among Dems. Good luck my friend.
FReepers would probably like to help you out Bob. Let us know how to send you some support. FReepmail if that is the best legal way to do that, let me know.
Athol MA is a hard working community that has gone downhill fast as has Gardner. Hope you can reach your peeps to get you elected.
Athol MA? There’s an Athol, ID. Never knew there were more, learn something new every day.
BOCOPAR freeper BUMP
Thanks for posting! WOOOOHOOOOO Bob! Yes!
A:
Peabody
Marblehead
Athol
There are Athols wherever you go, it seems.
*BUMP for Bob*
Black AND Right. ;-D
There are lots of Athols in MA, three of them are named Kennedy, Kerry and Patrick.
sufferin’ succotash, I didn’t think Bob was an athol!
A friend I grew up with had a lisp too... :{)
Sounds like a good guy.
Any chance in the area he’s running in?
Hope so. Mr. Parks is one of those rare individuals whom is likely better than the folks for whom he is seeking to serve. The IQ of Beacon Hill will certainly increase exponentially.
You must know the Athol jokes, eh?
If Cape Cod is the armpit of MA, then Athol is, well, the Athol.
(It's really pronounced Ath-all. What'd you think?)
Be cool. That’s my home.
Well, as another old MA joke goes, at least you’re not from Ludlow.
It was *four* towns named after Gov. Endicott Peabody; there’s a town in Mass. called Endicott, too.
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