Proving that bipartisanship isn’t dead yet, members of the city’s Republican Party agreed this week to donate $600 to help the son of a former Democratic city councilor who needs a new liver.
“Some stuff has nothing to do with politics or party affiliation,” said T.J. Barnes, who heads the city’s GOP.
Matthew Ragaini, son of former Democratic City Councilor Tom Ragaini, was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic disease that can kill the liver. The only long-term treatment is to get a new organ.
Families and friends are holding a $20-a-person fundraiser Saturday raise money to help with the mounting medical and household bills. Click here for the story.
The Democrats, too, have shown a generosity to the other side. In 2008, they donated $500 to help the family of Derek Jerome, a GOP state House candidate who died during the campaign.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
28 comments:
Tom your family is in our thoughts and prayers
I'd hate to be in Matt's shoes and I wish him the best. But there are people in much dire circumstances who get little or no attention from either political town committee. I would think that due to the fat Matt is a city employee and due to the fact that Connecticut doles out relatively good disability benefits, that neither he nor his family will be that hurting. Derrick Jerome killed himself. His wife and kids were left without a father. that's a bit different. It just seems like $600 is a bit extreme. But I guess if your name is Barne$, it's not that much.
So if I had have political connections, I could benefit from political generosity too? What if I'm just an average working stiff who pays my taxes?
The lack of compassion some people have never ceases to amaze me. Their need to memorialize their heartlessness by posting it on the blog is even more astounding.
My thoughts and prayers are with Tom, his son and their family.
11:04
You would probably get help from many of the woderful people in Bristol, as many others have.
That is why Bristol is a wonderful town.
Help comes from your connections: if you are involved, people will come through. as they have done
for so many people.
Unfortunately, these situations usually don't get the coverage unless the media is made aware.
Bill Stortz
October 2, 2010 12:16 PM:
Your post must have made you feel good. But too bad you don't pay attention in church when they say forgive the trespasses of others and do not judge. You're just as bad as the people you criticize....hypocrite.
October 2, 2010 12:16 PM:
1)Memorialize? Memorialize? First thing, get rid of the thesaurus and get a dictionary.
2) You have no right to judge anyone's compassion. The comments you judge have nothing to do with compassion for a young man with a terrible illness. It's about the allocation of funds by a certain few individuals.
If the Republican TC took a collection and raised $600 for this donation that is fine. As a matter of fact that is wonderful. But to take $600 out of the general campaign war-chest (their bank account) as a donation is inappropriate. Those donations were for political activiies, not donating to the charity.
As a matter of fact the RTC did take a collection at the last meeting and raised 600 dollars to donate to Matt Ragani.
Stortz:
After what you have done over the years to discombobulate the local GOP for your own personal reasons, it's hard for me to believe you'll get much from them yourself. But who cares anyway?
October 3, 2010 10:43 PM;
You mean Ragaini right not "Ragani"?
But very good job! Thanks for clearing that up too.
Thank you for the compassionate members of the Republican Town Committee and ALL of those who so graciously supported the efforts to assist Matt and his family in this time of need; thankfully, I still have to believe that most Bristolites are always ready and willing to help those in need versus those who are exposing themselves on this blog as thoughtless, uncompassionate morons.
May none of them ever experience perils such as these that Matt and his family are undergoing.
12:41
Wow!
I didn't realize that Stortz had so much power to discombobulate the Republican Town Committee as is charged.
If I remember, they self destructed, and haven't changed.
I thought the RTC was just showboating myself!
12:41
My vote goes to Mocabee and Schrafrick for discombubulating the Republican Party.
And they still are, along with a few others.
Guess they would rather be boss of nothing rather than winning elections
October 4, 2010 4:21 PM AKA Stortz:
Actually Johnson had a pretty good campign going. Those thre hundred votes he lost by might have been his had you not constantly attacked him during the months before the election. And there's a few others you've used your power and influence as former mayor and as town chairman to attack. But that's not their loss really.
6:11 showboating as always, just like the blowhards they are.
what did the democrats do for this fundraiser?
Are you talking about the same Johnson that promised the city hundreds of thousands of dollars, of which we have received how much.
Couldn't have made much of a mayor, but then, he would have been a front man for a few people.
I stilll say that the R's continually self destruct: the leadership is their biggest problem.
October 5, 2010 10:10 AM:
I agree, Johnson's a jerk but by the way so are you.
But again if Stortz hadn't been constantly sabotaging him I believe he would have won. Again he lost by less than 300 votes.
12:41
If you are criticizing Storts for not going along with the TC Bosses, then I have even more respect for Storts for just doing his job fof the people.
It looks like a some of the republican bosses are still using Stortz as their excuse for not winning.
Maybe they should have listened to him.
October 5, 2010 1:49 PM:
Spin it all you want, Stortz's actions in 2007 and many times previously were spurred by his owen ego or his own twisted, dopey opinion on people and things. In many instances it had nothing to do with what is best for Bristol.
1:49, then you must love ward because at least he won three times, in spite of a split faction inside the democratic town committee.
Stortz didn't run in 2007 because he knew he's lose. But he had to try and discredit Johnson anyway.
October 5, 2010 9:40 AM:
Most of the Democrats most likely purchased tickets as did some who know Tom Ragaini personally. Some Republicans (and I assume some Democrats) are willing to make donations to charity without the direction of their political leaders.
The man (stortz), beat an incumbent, won all of the voting districts, and a year later the power brokers were recruiting anyone to run against him.
They picked a loser they could control and see where it got them and the republicans.
7:02
Right on!
And now they are betting on Kenny Cockayne.
What a shame.
October 6, 2010 1:20 PM:
"The man" beat an unpopular dud in 2005. In 2007 his political career was doomed as a result of his attacks on people as well as his other political foibles. Get with it and get over it.
11:08
and the republicans haven't won anything since
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