October 11, 2007

GOP chairman takes aim at Stortz

Just sent by city Republican Chairman Art Mocabee:

Enough is enough! The Bristol Republican slate of candidates is more unified then ever despite some individuals who think differently and some including our own Mayor who seems to be trying to undo our unity.

This group of candidates is the most cohesive group of individuals that have come together for a common cause that I have ever worked with over the many years I have been involved. They are lead by Ken Johnson. They meet regularly to discuss issues that effect the campaign and the direction they want to lead Bristol in. They do not always agree but they acquiesce to consensus of opinion and move forward, much the way they will lead Bristol if elected..

It is unfortunate that on Mayor Stotz's last City Council meeting as mayor, I or another representative of the party did not stand up to thank him for his service to Bristol. While he may have a few supporters on the Town Committee and I am sure at large in our community, he has failed to work with us because he felt it was "too political'. When good people are alienated by him, antagonized by him , with the use of city resources no less, he can expect to gain no favor from us. When he needed us we were there.

Mayor Stortz has complained and stated that he was "not asked to seek re-election" by me as Town Chairman. This simply is not true. He was asked to begin his re-election campaign in June of 2006 with the formation of a media group, he declined to participate. Meetings we held in my office on several Saturday mornings in January and February of this year that he was present to recruit City Council candidates. That action alone was our commitment to his re-election. In addition I meet with him in his office on at least three occasions, emailed him at least six times requesting him to decide what he wanted to do.

By March I had no choice but to entertain Ken Johnson's interest.

At that time, Johnson told Stortz that he would back off the nomination if he wanted it by the May Town Committee meeting. If Johnson did not hear from me or Bill, he would begin the process of seeking the nomination from the BRTC. He did so and won it, and I think he would have won it even if Bill had decided by that time to seek it.

So the time has come to say enough Bill. Thank you for your efforts, but please stop using your time and City resources to try and undermined your party's ticket. Stop with the pattern of vindictiveness you have so frequently shown, especially to some of us who have helped you get where you are.


*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said Art!

Anonymous said...

Nice spelling and grammer, Mocabee, you right really good.

Anonymous said...

Well said Art. I hope this isn't too little too late.

Anonymous said...

I know Art and I know Bill

Simply put, and without a doubt, I believe Bill.

Having been involved in and out over the years, I would just ask those that are in doubt to see how Art "worked" with Bev.

Enough said.

Anonymous said...

Its interesting to read this and see the philosophy of the RTC who didn't think Stortz could win and went looking for another candidate. They know Stortz best. The parallel is that the DTC knew their two candidates best too, and chose to not go with Art Ward. He may have proved them wrong by winning the primary, but its still interesting to me that the people who know the Dem candidates the best, the DTC and Art's fellow city council colleagues dissed him at the beginning.

Anonymous said...

Please don't stereotype the RTC. As a member of the TC, I can attest to the fact that I initially thought Stortz as an incumbent was the best candidate. I would have supported him.

His "suicide bombing" of the Republican slate is almost indecipherable. The only explanation is that Stortz is a bizarre, vindictive and nasty person.

Anonymous said...

the absolute sin in this fiasco is that stortz bailed out the rtc by accepting to run as mayor last time, as the second choice after the first unknown bailed out - nice recruiting moccabee.
stortz wins and all of the rtc and nominated candidates think that the only way to garner votes is to attack their own "sitting" mayor?
what a bunch of losers.

Anonymous said...

Okay to the 10:44 poster...you quite frankly do not know your facts.

Art Mocabee was not the Town Chairman in 2005, Brian Glenn was and he and others tried desperatly to get Stortz to run in 2005. He did not, I repeat HE DID NOT show up for endorsement night. He had several people who wanted him to run.

After the party sucessfuly recruited Bryan Perry, a good honest hardworking man, he called Stortz and asked him to help and and Stortz said "No."

Mocabee went to Bryan Perry and asked him to drop out b/c Stortz wanted to run and the GOP thought he had the best chance of winning. Perry dropped out and Stortz was nominated. Stortz did not bail out the Republican Party.

Two years ago Mickey Mouse would have beat Gerry Couture. Wiat I guess he did!

In all his time running Bill Stortz has NEVER been a team player. Ask any candidate who ever ran with him.

Anonymous said...

Hey Stortz your blogging again at 9:29 pm?

Of course you would believe Bill b/c the only Republican your talking too is yourself.

Art Mocabee for many years in this party, has been carrying your water. He has done your grunt work.

Why don't you do the honorable thing and become a Democrat. Don't go to Bob Badel though to switch b/c you have ticked him off over the years and he may not let you into the Democratic Party, go to Ellie, I'm sure she can't wait to get rid of you.

Anonymous said...

Mocabee is such a two-face, he was kissing and backing Stortz his whole term. Now that the RTC has a new boy running Mocabee attacks Stortz - what a huge turn around.
THe whole RTC has nothing as long as Mocabee is the Chairman.

Anonymous said...

A town chairman's job is to back the candidate and the slate. Stortz is now attacking the slate and Mocobee is defending the slate as he should be. It's that simple an inarguable.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing when you think about it that the Republicans, who are already outnumbered, would toss away a tremendous opportunity created by feuding Democrats. Instead of uniting to take advantage of the Zoppo-Ward split, they're making themselves look awful by clashing in public and tossing insults at each other. Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

"A town chairman's job is to back the candidate and the slate. Stortz is now attacking the slate and Mocobee is defending the slate as he should be."

Absolutely, I could not agree more. Here's the problem. Ken Johnson is not running against Bill Stortz. Last I checked he was running against Art Ward. You have 25 days until Election Day to make your case against Art Ward. Thus far you have done one lousy job. I'd suggest you stop wasting precious time on Bill Stortz. Bill is a lame duck and in about a month will simply fade into the Bristol history books.

This is a very winnable race. Ward is taking the same approach to the election as he did to the primary. Say very little and don't make any big mistakes that expose his weaknesses, involvement with the Couture/Diamantis nightmare and 14 years on the council with not much to show for it. All that said, and all you have time for is to fight with a lame duck mayor.

Did any of you pick up on Ward's flip statement to Ed Krawiecki during the council meeting regarding ordinances/statutes on Open Space? I believe it was "just change it." I thought Krawiecki was going to choke. Fourteen years on city council and he makes a statement as though he were a complete rookie. Combine that with the email to Stortz regarding attendance rules simply being guidelines and you guys have just more great material with which to go on the offensive. Hmm, let's see, the Mall, the schools and on and on.

Art M. you are either asleep, incompetent or a rank amateur. Time's wasting and you have an electorate desperate for a change.

One more time for the cheap seats.

KEN JOHNSON IS RUNNING AGAINST ART WARD!

Anonymous said...

I'm perplexed: where has stortz bashed the candidate?
Certainly not in public that I am aware of.
Regarding the non-reappointment, how come Johnson could not make meetings 10-12 months before his father passed, but could plan on running for mayor just two months before his father passed away?

Anonymous said...

I just find it funny that anyone would take what Mocabee says seriously after his history with the RTC and politics.

Reading his stuff just makes me laugh now. It's like you can hear him pounding his fists on the table and stomping his feet.

Anonymous said...

Again, listen to what Art said:

"The Republican candidates are unified."

Stortz is not a candidate and he's crying b/c he's not he is acting like a spoil brat.

Please don't take the GOP disowning Stortz as Republican disarry. They are not in disarry they are very much unified.

Anonymous said...

What are you talking about? Obviously Mocobee waited as long as he could to respond to the hack-ing that Stortz has been doing to Johnson and the entire ticket. What do you want, silence?
Stortz is the only one to blame here.

Anonymous said...

Bill Stortz is a good man have some respect for your elders.Bottom line Republicans eat there own.

Anonymous said...

Someone called Stortz vindictive, without giving any examples.
However, was/is not Johnson vindictive in his original plan to run against Stortz, vindictive because he wasn't reappointed after missing about half the meetings?
And, isn't Mocabee vindictive in attacking Stortz because Stortz would not let him dictate as to how to run the city (Mocabee put politics first, Stortz wouldn't).
I think that Mocabee has some reassing to do.
Certainly he is not garnering votes for his party.

Anonymous said...

The way I read it is that Mocabee hsa found himself in another losing proposition, of his own doing, and now looking for an excuse.
Will someone please tell me where JOhnson has been bashed.

Mocabee, the only way for you to help the Republicans is to become a democrat

Anonymous said...

The only reason that Moccabee is a Republican is because the Democrats had first choice.

Anonymous said...

Democrats have a Town Committee Chairman who does nothing for the party but at least he doesn't contribute to the demise of his party through personal vendettas like moccabee does. Talk about a loose cannon.

Anonymous said...

My second favorite philosopher said "we have met the enemy and it is us"

POGO

Anonymous said...

Mocabee is a joke and a failure and he needs to go. The GOP will be better off without him. Bottom line.

Anonymous said...

Take it from someone who knows first hand, Stortz is vindictive.

Mocobee is doing the right thing here. It's a little late if anything.

It's not anyone's concern what Mocobee does as Town Chairman but the people who elected him. If any of the newbies on the TC who supposedly have posted here have a problem with him , they should voice it at the TC meeting after the election. Otherwise it's no one elses business.

Anonymous said...

Ok Art, whatever you say.

Anonymous said...

Mocabees definition of vindictiveness is when you don't go along with him.
Seems like he has a record of being being vindictive with him.