2008.10.22: October 22, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Ethiopia: Politics: The Republican: William Bradley recalls thrill of working on senate campaign of Paul Tsongas
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2008.10.22: October 22, 2008: Headlines: Figures: COS - Ethiopia: Politics: The Republican: William Bradley recalls thrill of working on senate campaign of Paul Tsongas
William Bradley recalls thrill of working on senate campaign of Paul Tsongas
"I arrived in Boston on Labor Day, 1978, and met with Tsongas campaign manager Dennis Kanin, expecting to answer phones or address envelopes. After a 19-minute meeting he gave me the keys to the Springfield campaign office and asked if I would coordinate the campaign in Western Massachusetts. Two days before the election, Paul visited Holyoke with Anne McHugh and Mayor Ernie Proulx. I remember telling Paul he should attack Brooke because of the scandal he was in with Medicare. Paul told me he hadn't attacked him to that point and he wasn't going to start now. His main charge was that the senator had lost touch with the voters and only came around at election time. Paul came out to the Oaks Inn in Springfield as senator-elect about three days after the election to thank all his supporters. He asked me to drive him to the Exit 6 entrance of the Massachusetts Turnpike after the event. Unfortunately that old 1964 VW van of mine would not start. So Jimmy Duke and a few of our friends gave Paul and me a push to get it jump started. As I drove Paul to the pike he told me that he wanted me to talk with Dennis Kanin about working on his staff for his Western Massachusetts office. I was hired and was able to return to Ware permanently. " The late Paul Tsongas, Senator from Massachusetts and candidate for President in 1992, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia in the 1960's.
William Bradley recalls thrill of working on senate campaign of Paul Tsongas
William Bradley recalls thrill of working on senate campaign of Paul Tsongas
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
In the late summer of 1978, at age 30, I had achieved what some would consider a full life in public service. My career in government was in full swing with stints for the U.S. State Department at the 18-nation disarmament conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1965 and 1966, to working on Capitol Hill in 1977 and 1978.
And while I would always remember the excitement of working as a page for House Speaker John W. McCormack from 1962 to 1964, meeting President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., and caddying at the Hyannisport Golf Club, and dancing at her White House Wedding with President Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter, Luci, I knew something was missing in my life.
Having spent 10 years in California, graduating from the University of California-Davis in 1970 with a degree in international relations, working five years in San Francisco and traveling through the U.S, Canada, Mexico and Guatemala, I returned to Washington to seek employment. I interned with a second-term congressman, Paul. E. Tsongas, of Lowell, and got a job as a legislative assistant with Rep. Dale Milford from Texas.
When Tsongas announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Edward Brooke in May, 1978, I offered to help. So as the Bee Gees sang in their song "Massachusetts," "Something's telling me I must go home," I headed back to Western Massachusetts. And what a "long strange trip it has been."
I arrived in Boston on Labor Day, 1978, and met with Tsongas campaign manager Dennis Kanin, expecting to answer phones or address envelopes. After a 19-minute meeting he gave me the keys to the Springfield campaign office and asked if I would coordinate the campaign in Western Massachusetts.
After getting an overview of what the campaign wanted, I loaded my 1964 VW van with lawn signs, campaign leaflets and bumper stickers and headed home to Ware.
I arrived the next day at the Sumner Street headquarters in Springfield, leased to the Tsongas campaign by Harold Chernick, the brother of the late, great, Sidney "Chet" Chernick. The first person I met was a 20-year-old American International College student, Jim Shaer, of Agawam, who had been working on the campaign for some time. Shortly thereafter, in came Greenfield's legendary Charles F. McCarthy, who directed the campaign in Franklin County.
Jim and Charlie brought me up to speed on where the campaign stood, and we reviewed the plan for the Sept. 18 primary. Thus was the start of a three week re-education of Western Massachusetts and, for me, the introduction to Campaign Field Organization 101.
It had been 13 years since I lived in Massachusetts. Some things were the same, but change was in the air. Paul Tsongas was a different kind of politician. He was bucking an entrenched incumbent and, for the most part, without the help of anyone's political organization.
Paul was a strong advocate for downtown revitalization, economic development, energy conservation and renewable energy resources. (Does this sound familiar in 2008?)
I soon realized that the voters, at least in Western Massachusetts, were looking for a fresh face to represent them in Washington.
Returning home was also the beginning of meeting some very smart and interesting people, many of whom remain very good friends of mine. Little did I know that it would lead to another 30 years of public service and a career in politics.
We had three weeks of field work to do before the primary and much was needed to close the deal with voters here.
In 1978 there were no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, and no e-mail. Organizing various campaign tasks could take several days or longer. When we needed to contact people likely to vote, we used law offices as phone banks and sent out bulk mail post cards. Local TV and radio played a central role in getting Paul Tsongas' message out to voters in Western Massachusetts.
One catchy TV commercial that Paul ran involved several people having difficulty pronouncing his name - a smart tactic employed by candidates with difficult names to pronounce. Paul's use of that idea was especially effective when a cute little girl, with some difficulty, pronounced Tsongas as "Tickets!" providing a lasting image to potential voters.
The one elected official who put his political organization behind the campaign was state Sen. Alan Sisitsky, Paul Tsongas' Yale Law School classmate. Alan had signed on early as the co-chair of the Senate campaign. And although he had his own re-election to worry about, he was there in every possible way for Paul.
There were a number of Western Massachusetts officials and activists who worked very hard in support of Paul. I think of Springfield City Councilor Rose Marie Coughlin, who served as the city coordinator and did a remarkable job in neighborhoods, on the phone and opening doors for me. Frank Guillini, Lalo Santenello, and John Izzo from the Sisitsky organization provided many of the ground troops for leafleting and sign holding.
State Rep. Rick Roche and County Commissioner Richard Thomas were early and enthusiastic supporters. Chet Chernick worked early mornings handing out leaflets at the factory gates of Uniroyal, the Bosh Company and Milton Bradley. As with every campaign there was a core group of dedicated volunteers who made a difference - every day. Joanne Schmidt, of Feeding Hills, was the office manager. Springfield was in able hands with Donna George, Bob Clark, Debbie Manfredi, and Bob Palmer. Scott Letendre, from Agawam, and Joanne Kuzon, from Longmeadow, were selfless with their time and commitment. Emillio Marvrouhdis, of Springfield, headed up the Tsongas campaign in the Greek community.
Throughout Western Massachusetts Paul Tsongas was connecting with people looking for change. I remember telling him just before the primary that Fran LaPointe, of Chicopee, told me a poll showed Tsongas leading in Western Massachusetts by 4 points. Paul said if we won by 4 points we would win the primary, and he did.
Niki Tsongas, the candidate's wife, came out several times to campaign. She appeared on Kitty Broman's morning show on Channel 22, attended house parties and met shop keepers. Paul's twin sister Thalia was a great surrogate. Connecticut Congressman Toby Moffett, a Holyoke native, came up to help out.
Two days before the election, Paul visited Holyoke with Anne McHugh and Mayor Ernie Proulx. I remember telling Paul he should attack Brooke because of the scandal he was in with Medicare. Paul told me he hadn't attacked him to that point and he wasn't going to start now. His main charge was that the senator had lost touch with the voters and only came around at election time.
On Election Day we had people at every voting precinct in Springfield. Voting machines were used in Springfield, and, by 8:15 pm the vote counts started to come in. We had a phone line open to the Boston office where we relayed the votes. The vote was easily going to Tsongas. By 8:45 pm we had most of the Springfield vote reported. Dennis Kanin got on the phone and told me with the Springfield results we were going to win - which we did.
Paul came out to the Oaks Inn in Springfield as senator-elect about three days after the election to thank all his supporters. He asked me to drive him to the Exit 6 entrance of the Massachusetts Turnpike after the event. Unfortunately that old 1964 VW van of mine would not start. So Jimmy Duke and a few of our friends gave Paul and me a push to get it jump started. As I drove Paul to the pike he told me that he wanted me to talk with Dennis Kanin about working on his staff for his Western Massachusetts office. I was hired and was able to return to Ware permanently.
My work in public service would continue several years later with Sen. John Kerry. In 1993, I was appointed by President Clinton to be the state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farmers Home Administration which became Rural Development for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
A lot has happened since my return to Ware and Western Massachusetts 30 years ago. I did not make a lot of money, but feel I helped a lot of people over the years, and hopefully made a difference. And I would not have wanted to miss one moment of it. William "Bill" Bradley of Ware is the former state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program, and once served as an aide to U.S. Sen. John Kerry and the late U.S. Sen. Paul E. Tsongas.
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