Callahan Announces More Endorsements

Callahan Announces More Endorsements

By John M. O'Hara

A candidate for the 2nd Middlesex District seat announced two diverse endorsements today. 

Michael J. Callahan said his efforts to win the seat left vacant by the death of Charles E. Shannon Jr. received a boost when he received endorsements from the mayors of Medford and Woburn -- Michael J. McGlynn and John C. Curran respectively, along with support from three area unions - the MBTA Management Union Local #453, Ironworkers Union Local #7, and the Boston Carmen's Union Local #589. 

Callahan placed equal importance on each vote of confidence.

"Obviously I am very pleased to have these important endorsements," he said.

Callahan said he will work hard and prove he is worthy of the accolades.

"As state Senator, I promise to take the fight to protect worker's jobs directly to the senate floor.  I will support raising minimum wage for all Massachusetts workers and I will help working families by making affordable and accessible health care a reality for every Massachusetts resident.

"And I look forward to working closely with Mayor McGlynn and Mayor Curran on behalf of the citizens of Medford, Woburn, Somerville, and Winchester.  I know these communities like the back of my hand- they rely on local aid as a vital source of revenue to keep local government running.  As a state Senator, I am committed to making sure these communities receive the state revenues they deserve to help ease the burden of the taxpayers," he said.

Callahan's supporters stressed his integrity and leadership skills. 

"The Carmen's Union feels very fortunate to have a friend of Mike Callahan's stature and integrity running for the Massachusetts state Senate.  I know he will be a great asset to the working men and women in his district," said Boston Carmen's Union Local #589 President Stephan G. McDougall.

"Michael Callahan is a hard working public servant with a well earned reputation for helping people.  I am very pleased to offer him my endorsement for state Senator because I know that as our next state Senator, Michael Callahan will fight for our city.  He will ensure that we get much needed state aid for essential city services to help educate our children and keep our streets safe," said McGlynn.

The special election primary is Tuesday, August 30th and the general election is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th.

Comments

[Dominic Santos]

I agree. Michael Callahan is an honest and hard working individual with moderate views. With the diverse political views of the 2nd Middlesex District, it is important we have a Senator who welcomes conservative, liberal, and progressive ideas. Some candidates in the Senate race espouse extreme liberal views that raise genuine questions as to whether they will consider the more conservative views of some of their constituents while on Beacon Hill. Michael Callahan, a moderate candidate, will certainly receive my vote on August 30, 2005.

[Brittain33]

Dominic, if you work that up into a press release and send it in to the News, you can get yourself an entry on this website. They already have your photo!

[What an extreme liberal view?]

Domingos,

What are extreme liberal views?

[What's an extreme liberal view?]

Domingos,

What are extreme liberal views? Nobody that I have seen in the race is an extremist. Please do not make accusation about without backing them up. While I agree that some candidates are liberal and others are conservative, throwing around words like "extreme liberal" sounds just as bad as calling someone a "right wing nut" just because he or she is a conservative.

[Dominic Santos]

An extreme view whether it be conservative or liberal is harmful to our representative democracy. What I mean by "extreme" in this context is a mindset which believes that a certain ideology is plainly wrong and rejects any idea from that side of the aisle. When I state that some candidates in the Senate race espouse such a view, I speak only of my own opinion on the matter and do not purport to state such as a fact.

[for Example?]

I understand what "extreme liberal views" are, but what I don't understand is what specific extreme liberal views You think these candidates have. You did not give any examples of what extreme liberal views these candidates are supposedly proponents of.

[Dominic Santos]

Example: Choosing to increase the income tax burden on working families in Massachusetts rather than cutting wasteful spending in the State budget.

A candidate for Senate voted to raise the income tax rate to 5.95 % for tax years beginning in 2003. The tax increase would have been used to offset the budget deficit. The measure failed and the State issued bonds instead.

I don’t agree with this result (issuing bonds) either. The State legislature should be in the business of making hard choices relative to our State budget which sometimes means cutting programs. As is too often the case, politicians, in a mission to please their base, seek to keep wasteful spending in the budget and pay for it through income tax increases that will only hurt our economy and adversely affect working families. This vote by a candidate for Senate shows that this candidate is out of touch with the needs of hard working families in the 2nd Middlesex District. The 2nd Middlesex District needs a Senator who can “cut the fat” out of the budget rather than raising incomes taxes to leave it in.

I won’t mention the name of the candidate for Senate who voted this way; however, the information is public and neatly organized on the Mass Scorecard (url: http://www.massscorecard.org/MA-Home.asp).