Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you for all of the wonderful support. Our team has been working hard campaigning to get elected so that I can serve you and our community as the Westfield State Representative in Boston. As you know, John Velis was recently elected to the State Senate. His State Rep seat is empty right now. There are four candidates running for election: two Republicans, a Democrat, and me as an Independent Compassionate Conservative. None of the candidates has prior state legislative experience, and none are incumbents. This is the first time in years that this Representative role has been contested.
As an Independent, I don’t have to run in the party primary elections in September – I’ll be on the ballot in November. However, when you vote in September, you may write me in on either the Republican or Democratic primary ballot.
I hope I can earn your vote in the coming weeks and months. I feel that I am the best candidate to serve your interests and the needs of Westfield. I know many of us are sick-and-tired of mean-spirited divisive political behavior these days. I want to be part of changing that, and in getting back to truly representative government. I hope you follow the campaign progress in the news, on Facebook and Instagram, and on the EthanForWestfield.com website. If you want to chat with me about any issue, please feel free to reach out via email, phone, social media, or the website. I really would be happy to chat about any topic. In recent days topics have included: gun rights, education funding, healthcare costs, COVID, the Right to Repair Bill, the FY21 State Budget, the Gig Economy, BLM, Soldiers Home, the Espinoza decision, LBGTQ+ rights, electronic signatures on nomination papers and petitions, safe drinking water, the role of Police in our society, and more…I am running to serve the community – not to represent a political party or special interests. You will see a clear notice in all of my marketing materials that says: “Paid for by CTE Ethan Flaherty – not by Political Parties or Special Interests”. I think this is important. In order to best represent Westfield, I don’t think it’s appropriate to accept money, campaign help, or endorsements from Political Parties or Special Interests. This may be an idealistic view, but it’s important to me and many others in Westfield.
Towards that ideal, I have not responded to solicitations for endorsements, and I have not accepted endorsements from groups outside of our community. In recent weeks, I have received solicitations from: Environmental League of Massachusetts, Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Democrats for Education Reform, Massachusetts Voters for Animals, Planned Parent Advocacy Fund, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Healthcare Union 1199SEIU, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and Catholic Action League. I thought you would like to know how these groups try to help candidates and impact elections, and what they look for before making endorsements. So, I have posted all of their questionnaires and communications on my website.
Again, if you have any questions about issues facing Westfield, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
See you on the campaign trail,
Ethan Flaherty
Candidate for Westfield State Representative
