Press release this morning from Republican City Council candidate Bob Merrick:
Some people watch baseball, some people like to shop, I like to learn. As a teacher, I am a naturally curious person and model my curiosity in helping children better understand the concepts of the subject I teach, mathematics. I am also a proud American who feels blessed to live in a country where we are afforded endless opportunities to improve our lives to be the best person that we can be. This goal is a life-long process and education is an important component of this pursuit. It also involves the help and support from many others along the way.
I started New England Opinion website June 30, 2006 as a forum to promote civil discussion, debate, and interaction by people interested in local, regional, and national issues. The Lincolnian Party section was added as a separate set of links off of the New England Opinion site in December 2006 as a way to engage others in a bipartisan discussion regarding the workings of government.
The motivating experience for the Lincolnian Party came after researching the roots of the Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln’s leadership in particular. I was inspired by Lincoln’s appointment of some of his biggest critics to his cabinet to include different points-of-view. .
Being a passionate and curious person, I had given some thought about many of the issues facing our country and developed some suggested platforms for establishing a party in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership. These sites are no longer active since they require a considerable amount of time to keep, a luxury I don’t have while trying to run for City Council, work, and spend valuable time with my wife and two children.
In January of 2007, I launched Unite Bristol (www.unitebristol.org) to address local issues in a nonpartisan manner through the establishment and promotion of neighborhood groups who could meet to discuss and debate issues relevant to Bristol and generate ideas and plans to be presented to our elected officials for consideration. I am no longer managing this site and have not been since announcing my candidacy for City Council.
As for the excerpts from my article, “Lincolnian Vision for America” contained in today’s Bristol Press they are summations of popular positions attached to these parties by writers, speakers, politicians, and media personalities and not mine.
After talking to many people and members of the Republican Party in Bristol I felt that my involvement in the city’s party would be a nice fit with my beliefs and I began thinking about running for public office. Only after several more months of discussions and meeting new people who felt similar about working for the best interests of the people, did I decide to run for City Council in the 3rd District.
As a candidate for City Council, I respect these core principles and hope to model them by working to improve communication, reach out and engage the public, and demonstrate my willingness to work across party lines by putting the people of Bristol first.
If anyone has any further questions I encourage you to contact me at 335-3833 and I’d be happy to speak about these or any other issues in further detail.
*******
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
36 comments:
Bob Merrick states....Lincolnian Vision for America....."positions attached to these parties by writers, speakers, politicians, and media personalities and not mine."
On his Lincolnian website he state...."As founder of the Lincolnian Party, I have established a party platform to encourage participation by our citizens in upholding our liberties established in the Constitution of the United States of America. The following are highlights of some of the proposals of my party"
In Bob Merrick's press release he say statements on the Licolnian Website are not his statements, but on the Lincolnian website you state they are your thoughts and ideas.
How does Bob Merrick explain the conflict in your two statements?
Read it again
"As for the excerpts from my article, “Lincolnian Vision for America” contained in today’s Bristol Press they are summations of popular positions attached to these parties by writers, speakers, politicians, and media personalities and not mine."
He is referring to the summations on his site that he used in his article.
He is not discounting the proposals he lists or his statements.
If you have questions why not just call him and ask him like he suggests?
"As for the excerpts from my article"
Bob Merrick is speaking about the excerpts from his article.
His press release is stating that the "excerpts from my article" are not his....but "those of writers, speakers, politicians, and media personalities"
On his Lincolnians website he states..."As founder of the Lincolnian Party, I have established a party platform to encourage participation by our citizens in upholding our liberties established in the Constitution of the United States of America. The following are highlights of some of the proposals of my party"
Bob Merrick can not have it both ways.... He states his comments / thoughts / ideas / ideals / beliefs / morals / positions and policies on his Licolnian website by making the statement..."As founder of the Lincolnian Party, I have established a party platform"...
He is trying to distance himself from the Lincolnians website which he created and "tried" to hide while running as a candidate for city council, but he is putting forth conflicting information.
Bob Merrick wants to promote himself as a great communicator using web based tools efficiently to reach the citizens of Bristol, as such it is my personal opinion that it is in the best interest of the voters and citizens of Bristol that this discussion not be taken offline, by calling him directly
….I think it is of upmost importance that this discussion remain public.
Why did Bob Merrick “try” to take his www.licolnians.org website down by it going on vacation??? His commentary and statement of beliefs etc. on the lincolnians website is polarizing to Democrats, Republicans and Independent voters alike.
Why does he want to take discussion about his conflicting comments offline, by having people call him directly?
Are not his answers to an individual important for all of us to hear?
Bob Merrick is a stand up guy. Obviously, Nicastro and Minor are running scared - hence the legions of naysayers on this and other forums. It's truly sad and pathetic.
Merrick is an unknown quantity and as voters and citizens of Bristol we have a need and a right to know where he stands on topics, including his belief system, morals etc.
Currently, his bobforbristol website communicates very generalized, non-polarizing ideas, thoughts and philosophies.
His lincolnians website communicates very strongly some polarizing beliefs systems.
How about if Bob Merrick answers the questions that are posed? This is not about Democrats, Republicans, Independents or Lincolnians, this is about the people of Bristol being educated about who they might elect in November.
Why did he attempt to “hide” the Lincolnians website?
How does he justify creating (or possibly re-creating) the Lincolnian Party in December 2006, then joining the Republican Party?
Bob Merrick states….
“the two-party political system has broken down into self-serving groups pushing their own agendas. The Democrats, championing the anti-Iraqi war movement have supported the promotion of liberal interests such as gay marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, abortion rights, a secular view of church and state issues, and a taxpayer-funded nationalized health care plan. The Republicans have been typified as aligning themselves with the rich by favoring high income and corporate-friendly tax legislation, as well as a strong association with the religious right, and the promotion of the war with Iraq as a necessary defense against further attacks on American security by foreign terrorist groups opposed to American ideals.”
Bob Merrick doesn’t appear to like either party…..so where does he stand?
Does he stand behind his bobforbristol website or does he stand for his Lincolnians website that he has tried to put on “vacation”?
Q: Why did Bob Merrick “try” to take his www.licolnians.org website down by it going on vacation???
A: He took it down because it was an old site dating back to 2006 (that he set up to explore ideas about how to get government to work better)that he no longer has the time to maintain. The only site he is maintaining now is his Bobforbristol.com site.
Q: What about the comment about "excerpts from my article" are not his....but "those of writers, speakers, politicians, and media personalities"
A: He is referring to the summations on his site that he used in his article.
He is not discounting the proposals he lists or his statements. He used them to illustrate points in his articles.
Q: He is trying to distance himself from the Lincolnians website which he created and "tried" to hide while running as a candidate for city council, but he is putting forth conflicting information?
A: He is not trying to distance himself from the website that he created as a means to express ideas and solicit comments by in 2006. He took it down because it was an old site that he no longer has the time to maintain. The only site he is maintaining now is his Bobforbristol.com site. He no longer had the time to maintain the site since he decided to step up and run for office.
Q: Does he stand behind his bobforbristol website or does he stand for his Lincolnians website that he has tried to put on “vacation”?
A: He did not try to put the (educational excercise)site on vacation -- he did. He did not have the time to maintain it.
His bobforbristol website is devoted to his campaign experience via the blog and also states his views of communication, listening to the voters, working together across party lines to better Bristol, etc.
He stands for putting Bristol First.
I know Bob and he is a stand up guy who wants to work to make city government work better than it has.
We can go on all day with a point counter point so I'll leave it with... here is a smart guy with lots of ideas. He decided to step up and get involved in the process. He spoke to lots of people about his ideas and aligned himself with a party that seemed to match his beliefs. He is not hiding anything and has had articles printed about the site, his ideas in local newspapers. He has even spoken about wanting to improve how government works before the city council. He has posted ideas and viewpoints on city oriented blogs. He is now only getting noticed because he is running for office.
So, I encourage those that want to learn more about Bob to call him, visit his website, read his blog, speak to him as he goes door, etc.
Get the facts, draw your own conclusions. Don't rely on anonymous posters (like the ones here... including me) who have their own agendas for or against the guy.
Bob is exhibiting all the symptoms of narcissism.
How do I join the Lincolnian Party?
Again, get the facts, draw your own conclusions. Don't rely on anonymous posters (like the ones here... including me) who have their own agendas for or against the guy.
The guys still a whack job
mediaman why did you answer the questions for Bob Merrick?
Are you his spokesperson?
If so, could you tell us, or could Bob Merrick tell us, does he currently stand for the ideas and positions he presented on the Lincolnian website?
If Bob Merrick doesn't currently stand for those ideas and positions, what caused him to change his mind recently?
Bob Merrick, by his own admission stated he created the Licolnian website in December 2006....so it isn't like it was that long ago.
I didn't realize we had cults in Bristol.
This is Merrick's personal opinions on mostly national issues. The Lincolnian Party rhetoric really has nothing to do with local issues, except perhaps reflecting a somewhat conservative ideology, emphasizing personal responsibility.
Get off his case Bristol Democrat hacks. Go promote your nanny-state, Marko-Marxist agenda.
I do know Bob personally and I am helping him with his campaign.
I took it upon myself to try and answer these questions because as a school teacher he is in class and does not have access to this blog during the day.
He did create the site back in 2006 as an excercise to explore and prompt open discussion on how government could work beyond partisan politics.
He has indicated that he stands for more communication, listening to the voters, working together across party lines to better Bristol. In short, he stands for putting Bristol First.
He's been running a positive campaign and spending a lot of time going door to door talking to and more importantly listen to the voters in the 3rd District.
Again, feel free to contact him (he has provided his bobforbristol website, email and phone number)and draw your own conclusions if he is somebody who can earn your vote. Don't rely on anonymous posters (like the ones here... including me) who have their own agendas for or against him.
mediaman, I appreciate your responses.
I would though like to hear Bob Merrick's public comment on where he stands on the policies and positions he states he has on his Lincolnian website.
I appreciate that some people might feel that the rhetoric on the Lincolnian website doesn't have anything to do with local politics, but I do beg to differ on that point.
I feel that although some of the broader positions and policies might not affect us on a local level, they do give us a clue and insight into how conservative an idealogy Mr Merrick has.
Does he still feel strongly about the 8k person venue he is proposing for downtown? Why did he not bring that up at the forums?
Might his concepts on family tax credits somehow be translated into a local level tax credits?
How could his Lincolnian policy on housing and employemnt for "Security" translate on a local level? Does he have intentions to strive for that sort of legislation on a local level?
While these are not the only questions some might have, it gives an example of how some of his idealogy express on his Lincolnian website might affect all of us on a local level.
Mediaman, I know you've expressed to us that the website was an exercise to gather opinions on a government free of partisan politics. Also, no one has made any comments that Bob Merrick was running anything but a positive campaign.
I do believe though that the voters and citizns of Bristol deserve to hear from Bob Merrick publically about his policies and positions on his other website.
I would still like to put forth, that this website was written in December 2006 while he was on school (christmas) vacation and just weeks later he joined the republican party in February of 2007. How does this all translate, when in December he was against both the Democratic and Republican Parties?
So Mr. Merrick is a big fan of Lincoln and is also apparently a very studious, deep thinking and creative individual. So what? It doesn't make him a "whack job" nor does it disqualify him as a valid candidate for city council. Many of our elected officials have creative or artistic sides. Nicastro is a trumpet player and McCauley and Johnson both like to participate with the Civic Theatre group. None of those things disqualify them either. In fact, I would argue that having a talent or area of interest (especially beyond politics) adds to a candidate's understanding of issues and broadens their life experience. Judge them on their understanding and management of the issues or in the case of incumbents on their records.
So to all of my fellow party members or thin skinned republicans who have used Mr. Merrick's thesis as a political weapon or reason to isolate him I counsel you to move on and pay attention to the real issues. At least he has a grasp of the BOE disaster that awaits this city if we do not act with resolve at the polls this November and make some radical change.
Wonder what Mocabee is thinking about his new found "republican".
Serves him right.
Media-man: Welcome to the Jungle.
LOL
To bad Merrick's District chairman and vice chairman don't support him. Thankfully they don't matter much anyhow.
I said it before ... I need to say it again ...
A quote from the Bob Merrick vacationing website:
"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government."
James Madison
Taking down the website, Bob is separating the text from his historical background, distorting who he really is.
Be Afraid. Be VERY Afraid.
Oh make me barf, Bob.
I have posted information on my blog regarding the Lincolnian Party. I have included active links to the old pages. I put the site on vacation a few months ago because it is outdated from a design point and I don't have time to maintain it from a practical point.
You may view information pertaining to pieces I wrote regarding Lincolnians and other issues refered to on Steve's blog on my blogwww.bob4bristol.blogspot.com website.
Regarding my idea for the arena, I addressed that in a separate blog post. You may view the original article "A Vision for Downtown Bristol," on www.unitebristol.org in the Editorial and Opinion Piece Archive section. There are also many video features tributing the veterans and providing information on education and urban renewal among other Bristol-related topics.
You will find copies of two emails I sent to Craig Minor, my Councilman, back in December 2006.
I also provided these to Steve yesterday but I don't know why he didn't post them yet.
The whole history is on my blog.
If researching issues in my country and community, asking questions of my elected officials, and offering to help in my city classify me as a whack job in some people's minds then I guess I'm not the candidate who would best represent those constituents' views.
Hey Bob, who do you think you are? Steve Collins is not your publicist, just because you send him stuff doesn't mean he should post it, so don't complain that he hasn't posted your latest contributions. Steve has already done you a big service by posting your Lincolnian baloney and giving you some free publicity. The blog is already getting cluttered with such junk.
Bob, I appreciate your effort, but enough is enough.
I plan to post the items that Merrick sent to Minor once I have a chance to read them carefully. I thought I'd have time Friday, but I didn't. I'm not even working this weekend -- or most weekends -- but I'll try to do it anyway. I do what I can.
I went to City Hall yesterday to change my voter registration to the Lincolnian Party, but they thought I was on drugs.
I'd love to know who's writing these obnoxious remarks. It's nice that we have the opportunity to express ourselves through this medium. But some abuse the priviledge by posting obnoxious, sometimes belligerent remarks (remarks that most wouldn't have the gall to say face to face with someone).
I posted some comments here, put my name down and was ridiculed and criticized by thoughtless hacks with no brains, no courage nor character what-so-ever.
So if you'r going to advise, criticise why not put your name down so people take you seriously.
Half of Bristol is on some type of drug. So maybe you're just weird anyway?
You'd have to be weird to become a Lincolnian .
In his blog posting dated Friday, October 5, 2007, Bob Merrick said:
“I still think the arena idea could be a good idea for Bristol. However, the BDDC is in the process of putting together an RFI (Request for Information) to see what interest and ideas developers have for the property. The BDDC also intends to hold public hearings soliciting the public's input and presenting some of the interest expressed through the RFI process.”
[http://bob4bristol.blogspot.com/]
Mr. Merrick got this backwards. The BDDC is not in the process of putting together an RFI. At the September meeting of the BDDC, Councilman Minor spoke emphatically that the BDDC must hold public information sessions before even starting to do that. He said that the BDDC does not yet truly know what the people want since it has not held any such sessions. The BDDC agreed with Councilman Minor and therefore took not action on moving ahead with an RFI. See the following excerpt from the BDDC Minutes of September 17, 2007:
“Director Leone commented that after Ocean State Job Lots vacates the property, there would be no reason not to proceed with an RFP for developers. Councilman Minor stated that one reason not to proceed was the lack of public input and public hearings. Mayor Stortz agreed, observing that a good portion of the problem with the prior plan was the lack of public input. The process this time has to be based on extensive public input.”
Oh ... Steve, I can't wait for that posting. I sure hope you're also going to post email exchanges between Abe Merrick and voters in the district!
Hey 10:38 poster.
No more weirder than a Democrat
LOL
I think Bob and all Lincolnians should grow full Lincolnian beards.
Wasn't Mr. Minor on the Council when the city bought the mall?
Did Mr. Minor vote for or against buying the mall?
Why didn't he "emphatically" call for public input back then? Why did he wait until now? Hmmm. Election year?
Everybody was in favor of buying the mall, even the Republicans. It was a no-brainer. What to do with it, however, is not so obvious and therefore public input is vital. He's a city planner, that's why he gets this.
Everyone also knows that Economic Development is the key to the revitalization of downtown. I'd like to see published, Bob Merrick Cost Benefit Analysis of his proposal for an 8,000 seat sports arena. I'd also like to see the rationale of how it would be more beneficial to the long-term economic growth of a stable tax base for our city.
I'd like to see the original "Cost Benefit Analysis" for buying the mall in the first place? Was there one? I bet not. What did the Council in place at the time use to base their decision. Did Minor as a City Planner weigh in and if so what did he have to say? Where has the call for public opinion by our elected officials been over the last two years?
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