Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Haverhill School Committeeman Shaun P. Toohey, Republican candidate for state representative. (Courtesy photograph.)
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker was in Haverhill Friday specifically to help raise money for Republican state representative candidate Shaun P. Toohey.
Baker joined a crowd of supporters at a Toohey campaign rally.
“Gov. Baker is not only our state’s chief executive, he’s also America’s most popular and strongly bipartisan governor,” said Toohey in a statement. “I am honored to have his endorsement in this race.”
Besides Baker, Toohey was joined by state Rep. Leonard Mirra, who represents parts of Haverhill and introduced the governor to the crowd, as well as Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, House Minority Leader Brad Jones, House Assistant Minority Leader Brad Hill, Rep. James Kelcourse, former Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins, Peabody City Councilor Anne Manning-Martin and Haverhill School Committee members Scott W. Wood Jr. and Maura L. Ryan-Ciardiello.
Baker last week formally endorsed Toohey’s bid for state representative to replace former Rep. Brian S. Dempsey.
gov. Charlie baker has and will continue to support shaun toohey for state office. he backed him in his run for the state senate. shaun won Haverhill in that race and will win our state representative seat for the people of Haverhill not the boston politicans. they are sending the employees to haverhill to campaign for vargas, look for the city of boston buses on election day.. the governor is committed to the hale hospital money. shaun will be a force in the state house on education, commuter rail and economic matters. don’t waste your vote on the sanctuary city candidate.
“will win our state representative seat for the people of Haverhill not the boston politicans.”
Yea, Toohey, his sister-in-law, Maura, the other members of the Dying Dynasty who, with their decades long Haverhill political careers, fly like buzzards around the city of Haverhill … yea, their not political! Noooo..they would NEEEVER rise to the level of dirty political tricks…nooo, not these people…pure as the driven snow, they are.
The Real Evil; the Coming Danger!; The Political Hack, ….is Vargas! A 24 years old, hard working, well educated (well, better educated than little Scotty Wood, at least), honest, energetic, thoughtful, full of new ideas and who brings fresh blood to the stagnate Haverhill political landscape…. No, HE’S The CROOK!
I understand that some people will spew deep piles BS like this…we see it all the time (Turn your attention to The White House for an example the very best of the best at this).
But, don’t Buster, think you’re fooling any one.
The citizens of Haverhill pay attention…and treating them as if they are too stooopid to has understood what has been going on in this town for years, and is something beyond their scope to grasp, is insulting to all.
Andy Varga is a good choice for State Rep.
He will represent Haverhill with dignity, with honest and with a heart full of youthful energy.
“shaun won Haverhill in that race”
Wrong. O’Conner Ives got the most votes in Haverhill in that race. See:
http://www.haverhillma.gov/government/board_of_registrars_of_voters_-_elections/docs/121106.pdf
Toohey just lost my vote.
Don’t vote for Maura either. In fact, vote for the three challengers (Hobbs Everett, Rosa, Smyth) to maximize her chances of losing. As for those of you who say she can’t be beaten, did you think that her dad would be voted off the city council in ’15?
There is NOTHING more important to Haverhil citizens than having close ties to Gov. Baker.
To understand Baker’s role in the future of the city you have to understand the makeup of both candidates running for this job. Both are newcomers to state politics, with literally no experience at that level. No experience means they don’t have any established relationships with their ego driven legislative colleagues. The functioning of the state legislature as an organization is all about individual relationships. The lack of relationships makes it nearly impossible to garner favor or support for the city in any way whatsoever. The problem with Toohey, if elected, is obviously that he’s a Republican. Vargas is seen as an inexperienced, immature party loyalist whose job will be to vote the party line, and do nothing else. In the battle for state funds in an ever increasing squeezed state budget, Andy will be beat out every single time by more experienced and connected state reps also fighting for funding for their own city. There are legislators throughout the state salivating at the prospect of getting their hands on the state funding that has been earmarked to Haverhill every year because of Brian Dempsey. With Dempsey gone, that money is now up for grabs.
If people living in Haverhill understand the legislative and fiscal politics of what each of these candidates represents in terms of bringing state financial support and benefits back to the city, there is only one thing that should matter…and that is Shaun Toohey’s close relationship with Governor Baker. The ONLY way Haverhill is going to continue getting its share of state funding is Toohey having Baker’s ear. Toohey will have to rely on Baker to do his bidding for the city with the legislative leadership. It is literally the only way Haverhill continues its current level of funding. Vargas won’t have any leverage with the governor….none! Baker won’t even take Vargas’s calls. Who will Baker then respond to…Dean Campbell? Mayor Taxman? That ain’t happening.
Toohey won’t have any clout with fellow legislators, but he will have the number one most important relationship that matters in all of state government….and that is with Gov. Baker.
Vargas won’t have any clout with fellow legislators, or the governor. How is that going to benefit the city? If mayor Taxman didn’t return Andy’s calls or requests for information while city councilor, do you really think Deleo will take a meeting or a phone call from Vargas?
Jack, do you sit around Shawn’s kitchen table with the rest of the Haverhill’s Dying Dynasty writing the crud?
— “Vargas is seen as an inexperienced, immature party loyalist whose job will be to vote the party line, and do nothing else. ”
Jack, Andy “is seen as inexperienced” by whom. You? Shawn? The Boys at Marks deli? Andy has a brain, so he’s got one up on Shawn right out of the gate. Besides, if Andy is so ‘inexperienced’ (and therefore, without a history) how do you know he will ‘vote the party line and do nothing else”. Are your powers of clairvoyance that finally tuned? Or are you making stuff up? (The latter, I think…)
— “Toohey will have to rely on Baker to do his bidding for the city with the legislative leadership”
Well, Jack, there’s you problem. Toohey need someone (the Gov) to do his bidding for him! Wouldn’t we be better off with someone who KNEW HOW to lead himself, rather than someone who needs a puppet master to make his lips move.
— “Shaun Toohey’s close relationship with Governor Baker. ”
Oh, paleeeze, Jack! Baker wouldn’t know Shawn Toohey if he ran him over with his car. His showing up to ‘support’ Shawn is pro-forma BS and you know it.
—“The lack of relationships makes it nearly impossible to garner favor or support for the city in any way whatsoever.”
Garnering favors? Really, Jack? Is that how it works in Boston? Or are you confusing Boston with the Oval Office where deference to Dear Lead needs to be shown at all times least you die by 140 character tweets from The Child.
Haverhill deserves better than the weak, ineffectual and hackish joke that Shawn has been on the SC for the last 10ish or so years.
He is simply not qualified to be sent to Boston.
Jay….What better example to prove the workings of the democrat controlled Statehouse for a newbee state rep than the career of Linda Dean Campbell. She stepped out of line early in her career by voting against the party leadership and paid a painful price. Dempsey and Baddour actually recruited someone in her own party and town to run against her during her re-election bid. When have you ever seen party leadership recruit someone to run against a sitting incumbent? Never, that’s when! She won reelection but learned the ways of the world being in the scummy democrat party in Massachusetts
And what has she done since? As a self-proclaim veteran and advocate of women’s rights…While young women are being raped in Haverhill city parks by criminal invaders from other countries she sat in her statehouse basement office and came up with the idea to introduce legislation to protect dogs and cats while at state MSPCA facilities. There’s hardcore community leadership and activism for ya!
The idea of Andy being some kind of party maverick if elected is as silly and insane as it gets. It shows your significant lack of understanding of how that organization works. He’ll be told when and how high to jump. If he thinks he’ll try to make a name for himself by acting independently, like he’s done in Haverhill, he’ll be slapped silly just like Campbell was. Andy is a child and he’ll be treated as such. Haverhill taxpayers will pay the price for him sitting in the statehouse doing nothing every day.