Five days to go

Today, at the request of a few Town Meeting members in precinct 3, I hit the streets of Mueller, Eugene, and Cormier Roads. I knocked ondoors to introduce myself. Almost every person thanked me for stopping by. I meet a few home owners that I knew from high school and some residents that knew my brothers and sister.

Nine days away

This morning I held signs at the intersection of Cambridge and Bedford Street. I blew-off sign holding this afternoon so I could knock on doors. (Thank you to my friends, family, and supporters who were out there in the cold holding Dan DiTucci signs.) I started at 3pm and worked my way down Fox Hill, Vincent, and Donald roads. My announcement of candidacy is now on the Wicked Local Burlington website. I was happy with the first comment: http://www.wickedlocal.com/burlington/news/x125179354.

The election is nine days away. My goal is to hit 600 homes. This is the most rewarding part of the campaign. Even though I prefer to talk to people in person, I’m excited anytime a voter calls or emails me…. So keep the emails and phone calls coming.

Thanks Phil

Phil: Thank you for your ongoing support during my campaign. You know I am all in on this campaign, along with my supporters. Just one comment - defeat is not an option for me or the residents of Burlington.

Phil Gallagher's blog: DiTucci for Selectman

My announcement of candidacy for the Burlington Board of Selectmen

I would usually not post something like this on my blog. I figured that anyone who does not get the Daily Times Chronicle or the Burlington Union can have a chance to read my letter.

This announcement is also posted on Wicked Local.

My name is Daniel R. DiTucci and I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the Burlington Board of Selectmen. I have chosen to run for this position because the issues facing our community continue to mount and renewed energy is needed to bring solutions to Burlington.

Burlington has been my home since 1959, when the town had more dirt roads than paved roads. My wife, Mary, and I raised three sons who all attended Burlington schools K-12, went on to college, and are now working in corporate America. I’ve been involved in many recreational activities through my children, including coaching 10 years of youth soccer and coaching little league baseball. I’m also the proud grandfather of a 2 ½ year old grandson and a 15 month old granddaughter.

I have gained experience in Burlington town government as a Town Meeting member for the past 9 years. During my tenure as a Town Meeting member, I supported many new revenue producing business development projects, including the Sun Microsystems development, the redevelopment of the high voltage property Oracle now occupies, the Trammell Crow development, the Wayside Commons retail development, and most recently, the development districts with the Guiterriz Corporation of Second Avenue and with the Nordblom Corporation at Northwest Park. These projects will increase commercial property values and generate more tax dollars for our community. As a Ways and Means Committee member, I have become very familiar with the town’s finances and budget procedures. I am currently on the subcommittee for schools and we are reviewing the $34 million school budget for 2009. I have been a strong supporter of the schools and believe education is the foundation of our community.

Burlington is a fortunate town that has resources and revenues that other communities do not enjoy. Even with adequate resources, Burlington must confront issues in a timely and efficient manner. The supply of tax money is not endless and I am committed to keeping Burlington affordable. I believe in being proactive and not waiting until town matters become large scale issues. Examples of unresolved issues include the deterioration of the Grandview Farm, structural decline of the Wildwood School, and extension of the planned three month project at the water treatment plant.

My passion for the Town of Burlington results in my activism. As a Town Meeting member, I put a resolution on the floor to protect the Wildwood School property from development. My position on the landlocked parcel is a hands-off approach. We have approximately 3 million square feet of office and retail space, including Second Avenue and Northwest Park, which will be built in the next 2 to 5 years. We should get this new space up and running before looking at options for the landlocked parcel.

I have owned Spencer Cleaners in Burlington for the past 21 years. As a local business owner, I am aware of Burlington’s zoning bylaws and can jump into the role of selectman with the experience the job requires. Being an entrepreneur has allowed me to demonstrate the depth of my management skills. I have to balance the short term needs of my business, such as the weekly payroll, with the long term needs, such as negotiating supplier contracts and tough decisions to repair or replace manufacturing equipment. I have proven my ability to act in a fiscally responsible manner through my business and will continue this as a selectman.

The job of selectman is a part time job that requires a full time commitment. I am willing and able to put forth this commitment. Board meetings and subcommittee meetings need to be attended to ensure important issues are resolved in a timely manner. Over the next three years, many important issues will come before the Board of Selectmen. I want to use both my town government and business management experience to keep Burlington moving forward. We want to thrive but we do not want to lose our identity as an outstanding suburban town.

I believe in honest government and promise to be truthful and fair. I would appreciate your vote on Saturday, April 5th.

Continuing my journey

I have continued my journey across the town of Burlington. I have met some tremendous people. I have now completed both sides of the Winnmere area, Winn St, Bedford St, Lexington St, and Wilmington Rd. Next, I will be headed to Terrace Hall and then lastly to the Fox hill area (my home area). This will keep me busy all way until voting day on April 5th. Please, if I missed you email me or call me.

Continuing to Pound the Pavement

On Friday, I walked up and down Lexington Street and knocked on every door that did not have a lawn sign on it. The walk took me about 3 hours. You never know who will open up the door. It's great when a resident tells me that they know my face from the newspaper or the mailing I did. The most rewarding responses are when people tell methat they knew my mom and dad, know one of my brothers, went to school with my sister, or had a child play on my soccer team. I've had many people who don't know me thank me for stopping by to introduce myself.

I figure I'll have hit more than 600 homes in just a few weeks. Hey, I'm outside in the cold but I don't need to do cardio at the gym on the days I go door to door. On this last walk I took, I spoke with a gentleman who was born in Burlington and is now 80 years old. He held a municipal job in the town his entire working career. He said,"Thank you for dropping by and saying hello, and remember, signs don't win elections." I thanked him for that.

As Tip O'Neill said, "All Politics is Local."

Talking the Talk

I've completed the two traditional "Meet the Candidates" forums. The first one was sponsored by the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and the second one was at the Burlington Cable Access Television (BCAT) studio. The format for both forums was an opening statement by each candidate and then Q&A. Up until the election, the BCAT forum will be aired often. This will give the voters a chance to hear directly from the candidates, not just prepared words in the newspaper. As voters, you should not feel uncomfortable picking up the phone and calling a candidate. If you read something or heard a candidate say something that was not clear, you should ask the candidate to further explain what they meant. I'm becoming a broken record but I really do want residents to contact me. I am always willing to listen.

To see upcoming times for the BCAT Election Special: Selectmen Candidates Debate: http://bcattv.org/

To read more about the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce: http://burlingtonchamberofcommerce.org/

Pounding the Pavement

The DiTucci signs are out there around town and we are well into the campaign for selectman. I have a lot of small business supporters on Route 3A and it's great that so many of the business owners in Burlington support each other. I'm a strong believer of patronizing local businesses. When given the choice between walking into two similar stores, I'll always choose the non-chain.

This past Saturday, I hit the road, knocking on doors and introducing myself to the residents. Now that I have daylight savings time on my side, I will be walking around various streets in Burlington after dinner time, continuing to knock on doors. If you want a sign in your yard or just want to chat, email me or call me at home: 781 273-3346

Why I am Running for the Board of Selectmen

I have been a Town Meeting member since 1999 and in that time have developed a great passion for town government. In order to be effective in any endeavor whether it be in business or in local government, passion for the job, along with being on the right side of the issues, is important. I have been in the service business for 21 years. I enjoy serving the needs of people. I have to be honest, I love this town with all my heart but I think it was a little better back then. I remember the old Dale Pharmacy selling hot fudge sundaes for 30 cents.

Getting onto the political note, if elected to the Board of Selectmen I plan on continuing to preserve municipal property from the tax rolls. I fought to keep the Wildwood School property from development by putting in a resolution on the ballot two years ago. The Board of Selectman will now bring the demolition cost proposal before Town Meeting in order to remove the 50 year old elementary school building that has been rotting since it closed in 1996. I love and want to preserve open space since it is so rare.

The twelve acre site at the corner of Bedford St. and Francis Wyman is a beautiful picture of old Burlington. A word of caution, some officials are talking about carving out some house lots on the property to pay for the cost of demolition which to me is very short sited. While on the subject of open space, the 140 acre Cummings property off Blanchard Road, although in Burlington, is owned by the city of Boston. It has been rumored that the city of Boston is trying to break the Trust that preserves the property from being commercially developed. The reason they want to do this is so could then sell it to the highest bidder. That also goes for the 250+ acre landlocked parcel which is another bombshell. Lets not do anything with this property for now.

We have about 3 million square feet of high rise office and retail space from Second Avenue to the Sun Property (now part of the Nordblom Park) through North West Park that will be built in the next 2 to 5 years. Let’s see this get up and running 1st before we decide to put our 250 acre site on the block. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.