Frank Gracie, candidate for Select Board will hold a fundraising dinner for his campaign on March 4th from 5 to 8pm at Shawmut Diner on Hathaway Road. Tickets are $15 and can be obtained by emailing Mr. Gracie at FrankLovesDartmouth@comcast.net
Mr. Gracie has served a chairman of the Privatization Study Group ...
... and as a member of the Budget and Revenue Task Force and the Tax Classification Study Committee. His participation with these town committees have given Frank insight into the workings of town departments and the town's budget.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Mr. Gracie to hold fundraiser
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53 comments:
No place available in Dartmouth?
It's the first step in yet more regionalization!!!
With the economy what it is I didn't want to have a $20 or $25 ticket price since the object of a fundraiser is to get people to come to it.
My other requirement was that I wanted the food to be cooked on-site, as home cooked as it could be, so that people got a good meal for their donation. I didn't want to serve food trucked from somewhere else, so that left out any general hall rental.
I of course preferred to stay in town but could not meet my requirements. Besides, the owners of the Diner are very accommodating to an aspiring candidate, so I chose to have it there.
Sounds good to me! I look forward to voting for you in April! I will send a donation even though I cannot make the dinner. Good Luck!
What about Dartmouth Restaurant's Frank, did you check with any of those?
Frank, I wouldn't even respond to these people questioning the site of your fundraiser. They are obviously the miniscule minority that thinks Carney should be re-elected.
To anon 1:20 am, your question does nothing but divide people. Republicans and democrats have served Dartmouth together for years. Frank gave a presentation with Shannon Jenkins once where he said he was a conservative. Shannon and Frank worked well together. Republican or democrat, we all love our community. Let's not use that question, as if it's them against us. We need to work together to find common threads to pull Dartmouth out of this fiscal crisis. I would like advice and perspective from all sides.
Strange. Are you not for transparency?
What does being a Republican have to do with transparency? Come on people. The question is about dividing people, not working together. We ALL love Dartmouth and that's the bottom line. If you choose to wear blinders, go ahead. I would rather listen to ALL the ideas. I don't claim to be an expert just because I belong to one political party.
Would someone please check at Town Hall to see if Frank Gracie is, or ever has been registered as a Republican.
Based on the latest reponses here, it won't come as a surprise if he was/is. That would also explain why he chose to hold his fundraising event at the Shawmut Diner in New Bedford.
It is just plain foolish of him to hold his political fundraiser in New Bedford. Actions speak louder than words, and it makes a statement that he cares more about his relationship to Phil Paleologos (Shawmut Diner owner and staunch Republican) than he does about making a prudent decision to patronize a Dartmouth establishment.
Mr. Gracie, your attempt to rationalize the choice of the Shawmut Diner is insulting to the people you ask to vote for you. And that's precisely what your prior post is - an attempt to rationalize a dumb decision. There are plenty of places where you could have held it in Dartmouth.
And you want people to vote for you???
This Shawmut Diner issue calls into question Mr. Gracie's willingness to be straightforward, and his commitment to transparency.
Steeerike One! Steeerike Two!
Good Luck with your fundraiser! You have shown that you are dedicated to serving the town. I have seen you volunteer your time with many groups in an effort to find new ways to get out of this mess! Thanks Frank!
I don't mind answering the questions, even with the childish accusatory tone. The fact of the matter is that I am not nor have I ever been a Republican. If you look far enough back you will find that at one time I was a registered Democrat, but didn't like what I was seeing, so sought a change of position.
I also didn't like the alternative so I have chosen to remain a true independent. They call us "unenrolled" nowadays because someone actually created an Independent party, but those of us that are unenrolled are the true independents. Of the 20,256 registered voters in town 49.3% are unenrolled. I always find it interesting that in social situations where politics is discussed some think I am a Democrat and some think I am a Republican. I must be carrying the independent position pretty well.
My standard answer is that I choose to remain independent because that gives me the opportunity to find fault with twice as many people as those that are stuck in a party. We have Republicans that do things like spend way too much time and money in Iraq, which brought back too many memories of the Vietnam days, and we have Democrats who want to give tax refunds to people that don't even pay taxes. They also insist on adding "earmarks" to a proposal that is supposed to save our economy in these troubling times. They all need to get real, both parties!
No thanks, I will stay in the middle, BUT, I AM a fiscal conservative. I never believe in throwing money at a problem. I don't waste money or spend it before I think things all the way through. I also would use that approach with the taxpayers' money. We all have limited resources and must spend wisely, and we can't keep asking people to spend more unless it is absolutely necessary.
With regard to Phil and the Diner, I met him in at a function for the radio station where he fills in sometimes, and where my wife works. We chatted about a lot of things, and the only political topic was fiscal responsibility. I mentioned to him that I was thinking about running for the Select Board because I thought I could bring a fresh perspective on some things. As you note he is involved in politics and likes to see others jump in. He said that if he could be of any help to let him know. He never asked what my party affiliation was and certainly didn't seem to care. It was a genuine offer.
My committee and I looked around in Dartmouth for a place to hold the fundraiser, and as I have noted I insisted that it meet my criteria of being inexpensive and have the capability to provide food prepared there. This pretty much narrowed down the choices. This also meant that it had to be a place that was not open in the evenings when fundraisers are help. No place is going to shut down their business so that someone can "rent" the place for the evening. If they did it would certainly blow the budget in the rental cost. The Diner is closed every evening except Friday.
Let me remind you that the purpose of a fundraiser is to raise funds. As much as I don't like the process it is entirely necessary to buy signs and place ads if you expect people to treat you as a serious candidate. To back yourself into a situation where you need people to have to spend $50 a couple to show their support for you is not prudent, and goes against what I believe in. This is especially true in this economy. Logic and common sense are 2 traits I carry proudly.
So I called Phil and the Diner is the place, and I am very grateful for his offer and his cooperation. It seems that you like to sit back and criticize things but I put out the offer for anyone who wanted to help to let me know. I don't remember you offering. Maybe you know of a place in town that would have fit the bill but we couldn't find one.
If thinking the whole thing is a conspiracy helps you sleep better at night, then please feel free to continue as you think. I would prefer that you stop playing "Siskel & Ebert" and critiquing the movie you are watching, and instead step up and volunteer to help our town. When I get elected I might even put you on a committee since you are such a know-it-all... even if you are a Democrat.
Good Luck Frank! I can't imagine three more years of Bob Carney. He has been on the board for 9 years now and I think we need someone like you with fresh ideas. Thank you for stepping up!
Why do you need a fundraiser? Pay for the stuff yourself then you owe no one any favors.
Do you realize how much it costs to run a campaign? Even working with a very conservative budget plan which I'm sure Mr. Gracie is, it still costs a couple thousand. Newspaper ads are several hundred dollars. A mailing can run into the thousands. Since those running for office are already volunteering their time I think it is justifiable for them to accept help financially to run their campaigns.
This Town has always been bi-partisan for Town elections. It has always voted for the person, not the party. It would a shame to change and vote for someone based on party affliation.
Wow this comment speaks volumes for me Frank "When I get elected I might even put you on a committee since you are such a know-it-all... even if you are a Democrat."
I thought you were pretty calm gentlemen, even faced with tough questions. But this response to defend a legitimate question about your choice of fundraiser location seems a bit arrogant to me. Is this how you will handle people whose opinions are opposite yours?
I agree. Gracie has self control issues. Imagine what would come out of his mouth at a Selectmans meeting when a resident didn't agree with him.
Not that it matters but his reasoning for having the fundraiser as Shawmut diner is as lame as it gets. Read what he posted. He didn't even look for any other place. He just thought he could bull$hit us with some bogus criteria. People aren't stupid Mr. Gracie. If you'll bull$hit us on something a small as this, who knows what you'll do on something that matters.
Geez, cut the guy some slack. You're free to vote for who ever you want. At least Frank is doing something.
First let me say that the comment about appointing someone even though they are a Democrat was humor, based on the fact that the Rep./Dem. thing seemed so important to them. I have already said that makes no difference to me and isn't all that important.
I also don't like anonymous blogs because some people use it as a shield, feeling they can be as rude and insulting as they want while cloaking themselves. This is not true of everyone that posts anonymously of course, as many just don't want the grief and crap that goes with actually using your own name. The others just like to throw out bait and don't like it when the baited bites back.
The only time I post in an anonymous blog is when I think someone has a legitimate question that I might be able to help with because of my involvement over the last 3 years in town affairs. Despite the tone of the question about my fundraiser location I chose to answer it because I thought it was based on reasonable substance. It is a question I might even ask. The question was indeed legitimate but the way it was framed and asked was not, hence my "tone".
February 12, 2009 8:46 PM anonymous has it right. It costs a lot of money to try and run a campaign and all options need to be considered to balance raising money and at a reasonable cost. In addition to the things they mentioned, signs cost about $600 and a recent quote I got from the ST for a large ad was $1300 for 1 ad on 1 day.
I am sorry you don't like the location I have chosen but it was the best fit for what I wanted to accomplish, and my reasons are sincere and honest. I also know that you wouldn't come to my fundraiser if it were held next door to your home and cost $1.
I have always tried to treat people with respect because that is the way I was brought up, however you reap what you sow. I like hearing different opinions on things because that is how we all learn, but there is a right way and a wrong way to have those conversations. I guarantee that if someone came into a SB meeting and expressed concerns or dissatisfaction with something, and presented themselves the proper way, they would be treated with all the respect in the world and we would have a good discussion. But, if that person came in with a mask on their face and said their name was anonymous, then proceeded to be rude and disrespectful, I would be among the first to give it right back.
Tough questions don't bother me at all, but inappropriate attitudes do. If someone doesn't want to vote for me because I happen to know Phil that is ok, but I really wish folks would pay more attention to the serious issues that face our town and not such foolishness.
I am an independent thinker and who I know has no bearing on anything. I have a relative who works for Montigny and that doesn't matter either.
Hey Frank good luck to you, but i would really like to know who you voted for in the last 4 elections for president. Care to divulge, i think it would allow us to have a better understanding of your thought process.
I don't think Frank likes people to challenge him. He seems to get very insulting/combative when questioned.
I can't believe I'm reading the above posts. You people are ludicrous. I hope you ask Stone, Watson, Carney, Miller, and Gilbert who they voted for in the last four elections, too. After all, level the playing field.
While you're at it, why not ask everyone running Town Hall what their political proclivities are, as well. Maybe you'll have a problem with some of them, too.
Oh, and while you're also at it, who did YOU vote for? Maybe we'd like to know where YOU'RE coming from.
I hope I'm just responding to someone who is baiting readers with his/her post; it'd be sad if this person were actually serious.
I'm going to add to my above post. When people like 8:53 post comments like that, it makes me wonder just how well they know Mr. Gracie, or if they've even made the attempt to get to know him, or, for that matter, if they've even heard him speak at the various meetings. Come to the fundraiser or candidates' night and listen to him speak; ask him questions, judge for yourself face-to-face, in person. Then you can make an assessment that is fair to YOU, based on the information he has given you.
Anonymous 9:13--I would have agreed with you a couple months ago, now I'm not so sure. Did you read how Mr. Gracie reacted to the UMass librarian's article? The librarian wrote an thoughtful piece. Instead of arguing with specifics or providing examples, Mr. Gracie accused him of being of insulting (the article was not) and then questioned his competency. Then in this blog Mr. Gracie writes "I would prefer that you stop playing "Siskel & Ebert" and critiquing the movie you are watching, and instead step up and volunteer to help our town. When I get elected I might even put you on a committee since you are such a know-it-all... even if you are a Democrat."
As a member of the SB, how well do you think Mr. Gracie will accept different opinions? I'm afraid he may not do too well. Perhaps he is a good guy but a lot of good people can't handle questioning.
Hey now quick to defend Frank are we. Well it's becoming pretty obvious in who's camp he is in. Let's be clear, he is the one running for an elected position not I. In asking who he votes for is a perfectly good question. All i am trying to do is find out how the man thinks. Not to much to ask for, is it?? If i know Frank G he has no problem at all answering any question asked of him. He is a straight shooter and really doesn't care what other people think about him. So Frank once again who did you vote for?
Yes I noticed that "when im elected...." instead of "if I am elected..." interesting. I also dont believe in fundraisers for local elections because you then tend to owe your "supporters" a favor or two afterwords and theres been enough of that here.
To anon. 10:47. I hope you will be openly telling ALL other candidates how you feel about accepting donations. Fair is fair.
How Frank Gracie, Bob Carney, Mike Watson, Diane Gilbert, Bob Miller or Lara Stone vote in presidential elections is irrelevant to the decisions that they would make on the Select Board. Political parties are not involved in town politics. The candidates should be judged on their stand on local issues which is what they will be elected to decide.
Candidates should be able to raise funds in accordance with the election finance laws. As Frank pointed out, it is expensive to run an ad or get yard signs. Precluding fund raising prevents unable to commit substantial personal resources from running. The maximum allowable contribution is $500 per individual. Most contributions are less than $50. Given these modest sums, I think it unlikely that favors are being exchange for funds.
Frank G, once again is not afraid of his position's. Answer the question it's not that hard really. Won't reveal a smoking gun or anything. Just let's you into the man's mind that's all. After all he will be entrusted with our future for 3 years. It's not like i am asking anything difficult is it?
Frank G
Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on the April 7th town election for selectman. Just to prove my point, you shall win by a grand total of 2,600 votes. Mr. Carney and the other candidate will split the other 2,500 votes.
WOW now we have rigged elections, i didn't know Carl Rove had such an interest in Dartmouth. Where's the RNC headquarters around here anyway?? Oh yeah i know, it's at UMASS Dartmouth, Young Republicans correct? Students who come here from other parts of the country who are Devote Reagenites register to vote in our local elections for all the Republican canidates. Quite simple actually the RNC has been doing this for years now. They leave when they graduate and we are left with all the conservatives elected to office and we are force fed REGIONILZATION, PRIVATIZATION, CONSOLIDATION and only memories of what once was a beautiful independent community. Simple Huh?
I would suggest you go public and tell the voters they should not vote for Mr. Gracie because he refuses to reveal who he voted for since he was eligible to vote. I bet with everything else going on in this town that is the one issue that they will base their vote on.
Wow, this blog has gotten surreal.
Frank G
Don't listen to people who enjoy poking a stick at people like Carl Rove or others, they are some what insecure and need medication or an increase in whatever med's they are now taking. Political signs are needed but it's more important to get out your voters. Get a copy of the voter list from the clerks office. More important, get the list of voters who voted in the last election. These are the voters you may want to concentrate on. Make a personal call to each of these voters or at lease send out a personal letter explaining why you are running for selectman. Identifying your voter and getting them out on election day is the most important factor in any race for selectman.
In the know - Thanks for the positive suggestions. I have obtained the voter list from the last election, and since it has about 9000 names on it we are trying to figure out the best way to deal with it.
My inclination has been to send out a direct mailer as opposed to ads in the paper(s), but of course even if that is 4500 households, which is not a perfect assumption, that is still more than $1000... hence the need for fundraising. Some of that cost can be lowered if I use the non-profit tag that I believe I am entitled to use, but it is still significant. We will figure something out.
Thanks again, your comments are very much appreciated!
Frank G
Due to the override questions, on last years April election, more voters turned out to vote. This is not always the case. You should find the voter information list , at the town clerks office, that indicate the voters who vote when the ballot isn't attached to any override. This will give you the names/address of the local election voters. No need to spend money or time with eligible voters who do not vote at town elections. This sounds cruel but true.
A regular sheet of paper with a three way fold should be all that is needed for a mailing. Have someone down load your computer and have voter labels printed for the mailings. A rubber stamp to be used on the returned address.
You won't need much advertising, a couple of nice ad's with the standard times will do. Have your committee run through the list of known town voters and place a phone call the night before the election.
Good luck.......
So Frank your reading this thread, so come on Frank just give us your voting record on presidential elections. It really isn't that bad to admit who you voted for now is it? I would assume that you are a proud man and very confident in your decisions. So please just one election, pick the race of your choice. How about the most recent one Obama vs. McCAIN
Who got your vote Frank G??
In the know - Thanks again for the good suggestions. When I checked with the clerk's office the only voter lists were for specific past elections. It has been a while since we have had a local election without an override so I am not sure how far back I would have to go to get what you suggest. I will check and see. It might end up not being recent enough to give an accurate current list.
Thanks for the good wishes, I appreciate it.
Anonymous, I admire your persistence, but there is a reason a voter steps behind a curtain, as we used to do, or between the privacy panels as we do now, it is no one's business who anyone votes for.
I WILL tell you that as an independent it is always difficult because I find things I like and dislike about every candidate. People that vote strictly along party lines don't have that problem, they just focus on the D or the R. I mix and match depending on the candidate. I have even voted for people that are neither a D or an R because I thought they were the best choice.
Hey anonymous, I just got a chuckle from some info I received. Of the six SB candidates, 3 are unenrolled independents, 1 is a Democrat, and 2 are Republicans.
The riddle is, guess which 2 are Republicans?
Frank G i don't care about the other canidates at this time, i am interested in you. You have also decided to step into the public arena so a question that is asked to help someone make a decsion on whether or not to vote for you should be answered. I am not asking for your private financial information or anything that deep. Knowing your voting record allows me to understand how you feel politically. You can claim to be independent all you want, means nothing to me. How did you vote, thats all.
Mr. Gracie, I read and enjoyed the editorial in the paper today (2/18)I must say that your responses were so honest and straight forward on the library issue,that you've earned my vote which up until now was up in the air. Well done.
You're very astute, Anonymous 5:40 am! I especially liked it when Frank said he only spoke to people recommended by LSSI. I think it shows that Frank is efficient! Why should his "study" group have muddied the issue with a bunch of data and conflicting arguments? Frank knows what he wants and is prepared to sell it. This is the kind of leadership we need.
The only thing that I am trying to "sell" is that we need to explore doing things differently. Continuing to do things as we have been doing is not an option or we will just end up doing the cut, cut, cut thing that I and everyone I know that is actually trying to help doesn't want to do. We cannot save our services unless we find new and creative ways to fund them.
The actual quote was that the only people I talked to *directly* were off of a customer list I got from LSSI, I chose which ones I called, not them. How can you call customers if you don't have a list?
I also told the ST that I did extensive researching on the Internet for other information. I found library user forums that talked about LSSI from a user standpoint, which is most important. There were no negative comments, and many that talked about how the library was better than it used to be. I also found other articles that spoke about how the community leaders were very happy with their choice,
I then told the ST that the information I had was enough for my group to recommend further investigation via the RFP route, to get all the cards out on the table. If you have read other things I have written you should know that privatization or outsourcing is not my first "solution" for anything, but it needs to be investigated and discussed because there may be no other viable options.
Anonymous 5:40 am - Thanks for your comments. The only things I want to do are help the town, and look out for the taxpayer's interest. If one doesn't look at things objectively then we could end up with a cure that is worse than the disease, but we DO need to look.
I appreciate your vote!
Right on, Frank! Your "extensive research" only turned up information supporting the outsourcing of library services. Of course your not selectively choosing information. There is simply no data or opinions that contradict your own.
Regarding the Standard Times saying that you only spoke to people recommended by LSSI: How were you suppose to know that these recommendations were not fair and impartial? You had good reason to trust the company's list of recommendations!
Well you continue to twist things around to suit your own agenda. I never said "recommended", I said supplied. Let me again say it in case you missed it, that I chose who I called from the customer list provided. I was never told call "this" person to find out how we are doing. Why you think I would do that when I am trying to gather information is beyond me.
Let's face it, you don't want to even CONSIDER changing anything let alone actually changing something. I bet you will be the first to complain when your favorite service disappears though.
And by the way, since you don't seem to like any of the ideas flying around, I would be interested in how you think we should solve our problems. We need more ideas so feel free to offer some.
Easy, Frank. We know you're "fair and balanced." So tell me again, how did your extensive research reveal only evidence supporting outsourcing?
Ok, I will try this once again. The task given to the Privatization Study Group was to look for POSSIBILITIES for outsourcing or privatization of the 14 or 15 town departments on the list. It was never to show that we SHOULD outsource or privatize anything.
Our list of possibilities was presented to the SB and the rest of the town leaders who then could ask those who knew all the ins and outs of the functions to further investigate. This further investigation would allow ALL the facts to be presented, good and bad, and THEN decisions could be made on whether to pursue or not. In the case of the library, the RFP which would define the library service in total was the way to get that information. Until that happens there is no way to tell if what LSSI offers is what the town needs or wants.
As I remember I found maybe 1 community that had gone away from LSSI, in an article that had no specific information. The rest of the information I found was decidedly in favor of outsourcing with LSSI, including communities who had already gone through 1 contract cycle with them and had renewed. No one said, "they are liars and thieves so we won't even let them in town let alone run our library."
Given that the information showed more than a 95% positive return we thought that easily qualified it to be on the POSSIBILITY list, and we moved on to the rest of the departments. Even if I had found 5 or 6 communities that had gone away from LSSI it still would have been a very high positive return, and still would have gone on the list. Don't you think that was reasonable, and if not, why? Thanks.
Frank, There is no point in continuing to respond to the comment about only calling references supplied by LSSI. This person cannot understand that you were tasked with finding possible ways to reduce costs. No matter how many ways you phrase it, they will reply the same. IGNORE THEM and they will go away. Reasonable people can see your point.
are we going to call his fundraiser,what it really is a fun-raiser. does anybody know this guy,where is he from. please answer.i don't want to here tucker road.
Frank G
Just returned from a business trip and found this blog is still active. Keep in mind that money is a factor in all elections. It's much more difficult to recieve when your a new candidate but not so when up for re-election. This selectman race is yours to lose. People are looking for a change and your the man.
On election day,have all the voting polls covered by/with a sign holder. Don't forget the seniors, they all vote, including myself.
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