"Good To See You!"

MA State Representative Jim Miceli is running for Congress. He is one of the many Democratic candidates running for the seat vacated by former U.S. Congressman Marty Meehan.

Debbie and I met each other while interning for Jim at the State House in the summer of 1989. Then we successfully managed his re-election campaign in the fall of 1990. That was a tough time to be an incumbent Democrat; but we won. We lived for Jim - working nights and weekends, canvassing door-to-door, holding signs at rush hour, organizing phone banks and mass mailings, and slapping more red and white "Miceli" bumper stickers on cars than I care to remember.

Jim is a good man. He's a little conservative, but he serves his district (Tewksbury and Wilmington) well. The common man loves Jim -he talks plain and simple and he gets things done. A "Good to see you!" and a handshake is his calling card. He's a hard man to work for, but a fascinating man to be around and watch in action.

I owe Jim a lot (like a wife -just look at her at age 19!) But I will not vote for him in this special election. I have come to realize that Jim is the guy to have to help your town with local aid, or to guide a citizen through the bureaucratic crap of a state agency. Jim really is a good man doing a good job, and he often quotes Tip O'Neil, saying that "all politics is local". That may be true. But today, with so much at stake, I will cast my vote for someone who thinks and acts globally. I am voting for Niki Tsongas.