Mihos bringing populist stance to party nomination fight

Date: 3/3/2010

March 3, 2010.

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



AGAWAM -- A sloppy snowstorm didn't stop Christy Mihos last week. Forty minutes into the meeting of the Agawam Republican Town Committee, Mihos lived up to his promise and came in from his home on Cape Cod.

The businessman and political independent who has been at odds in the past with several Republican governors now wants to be a Republican governor and he was heartened by what he saw. Looking at the standing room only capacity of the meeting room at the Agawam Public Library, Mihos said, "This is huge, really really huge."

Mihos was referring to the change he is seeing across the state at the meetings of Republican Town Committees, such as this one. He said when he began campaigning last April, he would attend such meetings and be greeted by three or four people.

Now, after the success of Scott Brown's senatorial campaign, Mihos said attendance at Republican Town Committee meetings has dramatically increased.

"Things are starting to move," he said.

Mihos is hoping to gain enough support from state Republicans at the party's convention on April 17 to be on a primary ballot facing Charles Baker. He said that without a Democratic primary, media and voter attention would be focused on the Republican race.

He believes competition is good for the party and said that another candidate for lieutenant governor would enter the race shortly.

Mihos added there are numerous other Republican candidates for both statewide positions and for the Legislature.

"Unless we get some sort of balance in the Legislature, we can't do what you want us to do," he said.

Mihos said another key to a Republican success is to bring the independent voters -- who make up what he called "citizen patriot groups;" but he also called them "Tea Party groups" -- into the Republican Party.

"We have to give the citizens patriot groups a place to come home," Mihos said.

Since registered Republicans make up only 11 percent of the voters in Massachusetts, Mihos said, if the citizen patriot groups are added, "We've got a win."

In describing the difference between himself and Baker, Mihos said he is "small business versus big business [Baker] -- Main Street versus Wall Street."

"If you work for big government, big labor, big business, or big media, I'm not your man," he added.

Mihos expressed concern over the rising costs of health insurance, which are affecting not only individuals and small businesess, but doctors and nurses as well.

He said on Cape Cod he is seeing health insurance costs as one factor contributing to the bankruptcy of small busiensses.

"I'm calling it a depresson on the Cape," he said, "because nothing is hapenning."

To emphasize his efforts to connect to the voters, Mihos gave out his cell phone number to the group, something he has done in stories covered by Boston media and more recently during an interview with "Bax and O'Brien" over WAQY. His cell number is 617-653-8111.

One of the Agawam group noted he had contacted Mihos with a question and received a quick response from the candidate. He added he had done the same with Baker and had not received an answer.

Mihos said if he was elected governor, he would "skinny down" state government and return as much money and decision-making to municipalities as possible.

"We've got to get the money out of Beacon Hill," he said.

He said he would cut state jobs across the board by 10 percent. His approach to pension reform would be to tell any employee new to his administration they would not be eligible.

He formerly served as a trustee for the University of Massachusetts and referenced a recent story detailing that some professors are being paid close to $500,000. He said when he served, the goal was to keep tuitions and fees from rising, which he said was done for four of the five years he was on the board.

"The UMass system is basically out of control," he said.

He would also take the $40 million currently in the state budget to help fund healthcare for legal immigrants and redirect it to pay for the continuing education of law enforcement officials through the Quinn Bill.

Mihos supports the movement to put a binding question on the ballot that would lower the sales tax to 3 percent. He said such a move would return an average of $688 a year to the average resident.

As a businessman, Mihos compared owning convenience stores to running for state office.

"It's all about the customer," he said.