There is no greater joy in life than when a father can publically acknowledge the great character, integrity and talents of his own son. I am blessed to have such an opportunity and could not be more proud of my son Jim, who is running for Bristol City Council in District 3. As anyone who knows me, and has listened to my bragging about my son and his family over the years, can tell you, Jim has accomplished many amazing things in his life. He excelled in school at St. Ann’s and St. Paul’s and went on to get a bachelor’s degree at UCONN and a master’s degree at The American University in Washington, DC – paid for by the Air Force.
His career in the Air Force was outstanding, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Pentagon and White House. At his retirement ceremony, my wife Jeannine and I listened with amazement as General Richard Paul recited, from memory and without any notes, the dozens of major accomplishments our son gave to the country over his military career. General Paul then presented Jim with a seventh Meritorious Service Medal for a job well done, noting how this was the most of these prestigious awards he had ever seen given to an individual in the Air Force and how this wasn’t a surprise in Jim’s case.
After retiring from the Air Force, Jim and his family came back to Bristol where he led three different hospitals in Connecticut and was elected to the Board and then President of the Franco-American Club of Bristol. He was also elected to the Board and then President of the Society for Information Management where he won the award for fastest growing chapter in the country, the Board of the French Businessmen’s Association which doubled its membership, the Board of St. Paul Catholic High School which increased student enrollment and the Finance Committee of St. Ann’s Parish where he helped negotiate the sale of land on West Street for the new Boys and Girls Club. In all cases, these organizations improved greatly under Jim’s leadership.
My son would make an exceptional City Councilman because he has a wealth of experience and expertise from his time in Connecticut and his extensive travels around the world. I have witnessed his leadership and determination time and again, and his style is to get consensus and not be divisive or confrontational. People want to work for Jim and will work for Jim because he is not afraid to ask and not afraid to work hard. We need people like my son to help get this City moving again. There are too many people with personal agendas taking too much money and energy from Bristol and we need a leader who can bring everyone together and set a direction. I can honestly say that my son Jim is such a person and I urge everyone in District 3 to vote for him on November 5th.
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