Posted by Bob on January 30, 2009 under Daily Blogs | 
I was surprised recently when a voter asked me if I would run as a petitioning candidate if I did not win the Democratic Primary on March 9, 2009. Whether or not such question was based on a rumor or simple curiosity, I do not know.
What I can unequivocally say on the subject is this: I am running as a Democrat, and a Democrat only, to be the mayor of Naugatuck. I have no intention of running as a petitioning candidate, or as a candidate endorsed by another party. Naugatuck voters have a better chance of seeing me walk around town in a New York Yankees hat than having the chance to vote for me as anything other than a Democrat. For those of you who know me well, you can understand the significance of that statement.
In addition, I have pledged my support to elect a Democrat to the mayor’s office after the March 9, 2009, primary; whether or not that candidate is me or one of my opponents.
Rumors of my candidacy as a non-Democrat are curious to me for many reasons. I have been a Democrat since I registered to vote at the age of eighteen, and have supported Democratic candidates throughout the years. I have the utmost respect for Republicans, unaffiliated voters, and members of other political parties, and have worked across the aisle during my years on the Borough Board on initiatives important to Naugatuck; but I am proud to be a Democrat.
Unlike my opponent Kevin Knowles, I chose not to support Senator Lieberman’s 2006 independent candidacy for the Senate after Ned Lamont won the Democratic primary fair and square. See the following articles regarding the “Dems for Joe” movement: “A Reminder About the Dems for Joe” (www.spaceboy.net); and “Madfloridian’s Journal (www.democraticunderground.com). In my humble opinion, the purpose of a primary is to choose a candidate that will represent the party in the general election; not to give a candidate a second chance to get on the ballot for the general election.
Most significantly, a petition is being circulated on behalf of Kevin Knowles to qualify for the May 4, 2009, election ballot as a member of the Working Families Party. While I strongly support working families, I do so proudly as a Democrat. This leads to an important question: Is Kevin Knowles, as the endorsed candidate, attempting to secure a position on the ballot as a member of another party even if he loses the March 9, 2009, primary? If not, why is Mr. Knowles not content to run as a Democrat, and a Democrat only, as I have always done?
Naugatuck Democrats have a right to know a candidate’s loyalty to the Democratic Party; and a candidate’s respect for the Democratic primary process. I have just informed them of mine.
Posted by Bob on January 27, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
Our campaign has been notified that we have submitted the required amount of signatures necessary to force a Democratic primary on March 9, 2009. This was completed with several days to spare due to the dedication of so many volunteers from our campaign. Several people, far too many to mention, circulated petitions over the past week. There is no way we could have been so successful without a tremendous amount of help. Despite cold weather and limited daylight, each person in our campaign helped us achieve our goal.
In addition, we would like to thank the many Democrats who signed our petitions in support of the democratic process. We know we may have some work to do to earn your vote in the March 9, 2009, primary, but by signing the petition you are allowing 6100-plus Naugatuck Democrats to decide who will represent the party during the important election upcoming on May 4, 2009. Thank you to so many of you who opened your doors, spoke with myself and members of our campaign, and agreed to give voters a choice by signing our petitions.
All across the country, people are voicing their dissatisfaction with government and the political process by voting in record numbers. Now it is our turn, here in Naugatuck, to bring real change and focused leadership to Borough government. Getting on the ballot was the easy part, now our campaign is committed to meeting as many voters as possible and learning their individual concerns, ideas, hopes and dreams.
Together, we take a first step toward a better Naugatuck.
Posted by Bob on January 22, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
A campaign is only successful as the volunteers and supporters involved. Interested in volunteering for the Mezzo2009 campaign, please email me at bob@bobmezzo.com.
TEAM MEZZO2009 MISSION STATEMENT
· ALL OPINIONS ARE IMPORTANT
· EVERYONE DESERVES RESPECT
· WE, NOT I
· YES, WE CAN (We didn’t come up with it, but it seems to work pretty well.)
· VALUE PEOPLES’ TIME AND TALENT
· ALWAYS WORK LIKE YOU ARE 1,000 VOTES BEHIND
· NEVER QUESTION SOMEONE’S MOTIVES
· LEARN FROM MISTAKES
· HAVE FUN
· BELIEVE IN ONE ANOTHER
· TELL THE TRUTH, EVEN WHEN IT IS HARD
· IT’S ALL ABOUT A BETTER NAUGATUCK
· FOCUS
Posted by Bob on under Daily Blogs |
We are launching a petition drive to garner signatures in order to gain access to the ballot for the Democratic mayoral primary. If you are a registered Democrat and would like to sign the petition to show your support for the democratic process, please email me at bob@bobmezzo.com. We can come to your home or you can stop by the headquarters on 199 Church Street at a time that is convenient for you. Please indicate your preference. We appreciate your support.
Posted by Bob on under Daily Blogs |
Thank you to all who visited our new headquarters in honor of the Dr. Martin
You are never to young to do the right thing.
Luther King National Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2009. We were extremely happy to meet so many great people, add new volunteers to the campaign and obtain much needed petition signatures.
Most importantly, we filled two large bins of food which will be donated to the Naugatuck Ecumenical Food Bank. During these difficult economic times and frigid Winter, it is critical that we reach-out to those less fortunate in their time of need. While our event was able to assist in a small way, the Food Bank has been a fixture in Naugatuck for many years. Numerous volunteers work extremely hard in a labor of love obtaining much needed donations from dedicated individuals, businesses and community
Feel free to visit our new headquarters at 199 Church Street.
groups. If you have a chance and are feeling generous, please call (203-723-1922) or visit the Food Bank at 75 Spring Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770, to see how you can lend a hand.
Posted by Bob on January 17, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
As expected, the Naugatuck Democratic Town Committee endorsed my opponent, Kevin Knowles, as the endorsed candidate this afternoon. I wish Kevin good luck and good health in the upcoming primary.
While I have the utmost respect for members of the town committee, our campaign believes that this May’s election is too important for Naugatuck to deny approximately 6100 Democrats the opportunity to choose their nominee for Mayor. I have already filed the required correspondence with the Naugatuck Registrar of Voters to proceed with the primary.
In the coming days, our campaign will be obtaining signatures for the March 9, 2009, primary. If you are interested in signing the petition, please call me (203-720-0996) or email me (bob@bobmezzo.com), and one of our dedicated volunteers will deliver a petition to you for signing.
Congratulations to Kevin Knowles on his endorsement. While we will be opponents in the upcoming primary, Kevin is a good person and someone I am proud to call a friend.
Posted by Bob on January 14, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
Republican Town Committee members deviated from tradition and endorsed challenger Ron San Angelo over incumbent Mayor Mike Bronko on Monday night. Democratic Town Committee members will endorse their candidate on Saturday morning.
The reality of this year’s election, however, is that neither party will know who the eventual nominee is until after the March 9, 2009, primary. Unlike the presidential selection process, local and state parties endorse candidates before primaries rather than after.
Given the enormous challenges facing the Borough this year, this is the way it should be. All across the United States people are making statements through their votes that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Now it is Naugatuck’s turn to choose a leader qualified to change the way we do business in the Borough. While town committee members serve an important role in the process, these tumultuous times demand all voters have a say in choosing their respective party’s candidate for the May election.
Only voters affiliated with a political party can vote in that party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters can register with a party right up until the day before the March 9, 2009, primary. To register to vote or register with a party you may download the registration form here or do so by clicking the icon on the right side of this blog. Completed forms can be mailed to the Naugatuck Registrar of Voters at 229 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770, or hand delivered directly to the registrar on the second floor of the town hall.
Unfortunately it is too late to switch from one party to another and still be eligible to vote in the other party’s primary on March 9, 2009.
Good luck and good health to all the candidates running for office in 2009.
Posted by Bob on January 12, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
Many a northeastern politician has made a career boasting that their town’s roads were always plowed during their respective time in office. The reality, however, is that there is no magic wand available to anyone that removes snow or makes roads safer for traveling.
Such work is done by hard-working individuals, at all hours of the day under difficult conditions. Naugatuck is fortunate to have an outstanding superintendent and crew of employees working for the street department. While it is easy to criticize in the midst of a bad storm, our roads are in better shape than most other towns.
Our campaign did a literature drop this past weekend. After hearing the forecast, most of us assumed that Sunday’s weather would make delivery impossible. Much to our pleasant surprise, most of the main roads were clear by morning, with the majority of secondary roads plowed by the afternoon.
Complaints being a dime a dozen these days, we should also be willing to acknowledge a job well done.
Posted by Bob on January 10, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
Many of you have received flyers from my campaign this weekend. While our campaign may not have the most money received from special interests, we are fortunate to have many hard-working and dedicated volunteers willing to brave winter weather to make Naugatuck the best community it can be.
This weekend marks the first of several distributions of campaign flyers, or “lit-drops” (short for literature drops) as they are called. Many of our campaign volunteers have sacrified their time to distribute flyers neighborhood by neighborhood. If you have a preference as to where we place future flyers, please email me and we will add this information to our voter lists. We are not allowed to place flyers inside mailboxes without permission.
The first flyer highlights some of my positions on the issues, as well as my resume to be the Mayor of Naugatuck. For more detailed information, please see my issue summary and biography on this blog.
If you happen to see some of my volunteers in your neighborhood, please feel free to ask them any questions or provide your opinion about possible solutions to Naugatuck’s problems. If they can not answer your question, they will be sure to relay your concerns directly to me or provide you with my contact information. My campaign volunteers are some of the most talented and ethical people that I have had the pleasure to encounter in my life. Words can not express my gratitude for their commitment to our campaign and a better Naugatuck.
If you are interested in helping on lit-drops, please send an email to bob@bobmezzo.com. Your time and talents will be respected and much appreciated.
Posted by Bob on under Daily Blogs |
Jay's looking to start a new winning streak (Yes, that is my old Antoine Walker jersey - at least it is Yaz's number)
OK – those of us who love all teams New England have been spoiled this decade. Sox, Pats and finally the Celtics have all won championships, and even the Bruins have been outstanding this year. That being said, the Celtics’ recent slump has been difficult to watch. After a remarkable start, losing seven of nine and watching Lebron James put on a clinic against us Friday night has raised the question: Is the new Celtics dynasty over before it started?
By gut answer is no. The C’s have had a brutal schedule, rarely being home for more than two games at a stretch. Having the indignity of playing the Yankees (I mean, Lakers) in LA on Christmas Day while being the defending champs didn’t help. The All-Star break can’t come soon enough. With a little rest for the new Big Three and some commitment to playing a full forty eight minutes, I think Green 18 is still a possibility.
In the meantime, go Bruins!
Loading ...