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McCarthy to kick-off campaign against Puppolo

Date: 6/12/2012

June 11, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

WILBRAHAM — Wilbraham resident D. John McCarthy will host an event to kick off his campaign against incumbent Democrat Angelo Puppolo Jr. for the 12th Hampden District's seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on June 13.

The event will take place at Gregory's Pizza Pub, 2391 Boston Road at 6:30 p.m.

McCarthy, a Republican, was recently elected chair of the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee after serving on the committee since 2004, and said his experience with that committee and is a former chair of the Republican Town Committee made him a solid candidate.

"The time is right for me based on my age, experience and the fact that this is really a one-party state," he told Reminder Publications. "I think it's important to give competition to the incumbent Democrats. One of the problems this state has is that we have too many people who go to Boston and just vote the way the Speaker of the House tells them to and that's not the way government should work."

McCarthy pointed to jobs and the economy as one major concern to residents of the 12th Hampden District, which includes Wilbraham, precinct one in East Longmeadow and precincts C, D, G and H in ward 6 and precincts B, C, D, E and G in ward 7 in Springfield.

"When you look at investments by the state like the $58 million one made with Evergreen Solar, that is not good business," he said. "The best way to encourage economic growth is to support small businesses. If you divided up that $58 million into microloans of $1,000 or so, you are helping small businesses thrive. You're also spreading out the risk, as opposed to putting it all in one company like Evergreen Solar, which failed and only created 800 jobs in the first place."

McCarthy also cited education and spending related thereto and state pensions as other issues that have been raised by residents he has spoken with.

"People are very concerned about the state pension programs and specifically what it is costing the taxpayers," he said.

McCarthy acknowledged he faces an uphill battle against an entrenched incumbent in Puppolo, but said he does not believe that is any indication of his ability to win.

"[Puppolo] does have nearly $250,000 in campaign funds and all of the advantages an incumbent has, so I know it's going to be difficult to match that. In all honesty, I probably can't," he said. "But I do hope to raise some money and run a real grassroots campaign. I'm going to be knocking on doors and being as public as I can with the help of some volunteers because I think the face-to-face time with the voters is most important."

McCarthy also pointed out that the 12th Hampden District has historically voted favorably for Republican candidates in the past.

To learn more about McCarthy and his candidacy, visit his website at www.djohnmccarthy.com.



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