3rd District GOP still seeking candidates

Statement issued by the 3rd District's Republican committee late last night:

Although spring hasn’t arrived, Republicans in Bristol’s Third Council District are excited about this fall’s council race.  

“This fall’s race is going to be exciting in our district,” said Bob Casar, District Chairman, “like last year’s Presidential race, we’re faced with the unique situation where there is no incumbent running for office.”  Because of that, Casar said, the district has “seen an upswing in the number of people like Derek  who have expressed an interest in running for Council in the third district.” 

“Derek came to us about a month ago to discuss his candidacy.  Since then I know he’s worked hard to develop his platform and build a campaign team that he believes will help him win the party’s nomination, and, ultimately, the election in November,” Casar said. 

“At one point our list had seven names on it, and through the process some have dropped out or opted to take a role in helping others. It is refreshing to see candidates vying for the nomination who we believe would be an asset to the council,” said Mickey Goldwasser, another Third District Republican.  “There are many things about Derek’s platform that we support.”  “That said,” said Casar, “we are still encouraging anyone interested in running to step forward during the coming weeks.”

While the party will vote on nominations in May, the District has already begun the vetting process.  In the Third District all candidates will receive a questionnaire that they will need to discuss with the Vetting Committee, further, candidates will be interviewed as a group and individually by Town Committee members and will be asked to present a platform to the Committee. 

“Right now feelings of cynicism and mistrust are running pretty high in our society,” said Casar.  “We feel that we owe it to the voters to put forward candidates of high integrity and strong character.”  By doing that, Casar said he hopes the election will “focus on the issues that matter most to our neighbors, as opposed to devolving into partisan rants and name calling.”

Goldwasser said that the things he’s looking for in a candidate include “a solid, focused, common sense platform.”  Casar is looking for “some interest from non-traditional Republicans, whether as a candidate or volunteer.  Diversity is what makes organizations great – we need more young people to get involved in the process to help us build bench strength for the future; we need white collar and blue collar folks working together with Veteran’s, retirees and students.  We need to reflect the image of our community.” 

Finally, said Goldwasser, “we need individuals that will put the voters of Bristol first and have the ability to make a difference. Candidates should also be able to demonstrate the ability to develope a strong campaign organization, and have the passion and energy necessary to sustain themselves through a long campaign season.  They’re going to be asking a lot of us in the weeks and months to come.  By having them go through the vetting process now, we’re having them do some work up front to make sure they’re not only qualified but dedicated to putting in the hours to make it to November.” 

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com