Gerry Dembrowski for State Senate

State legislators spend our taxes, determine our business climates, and make our marriage laws. Amid the hype over the race for the Oval Office, it’s worthwhile getting to know candidates for offices closer to home. I’ve been doing that here in Massachusetts, most recently by attending the campaign kickoff of Republican Dr. Gerry Dembrowski. Gerry is running for State Senator from the 4th Middlesex District, which includes Woburn, Lexington, Arlington, Burlington and Billerica. He grew up in the district, playing varsity hockey at Woburn High, before getting degrees from Salem State College and Palmer College in California. Today he is a chiropractor, and therefore a businessman.

AM1200 morning show host Jeff Katz headlined the kickoff with stories about something his father and father-in-law have in common: they’re both afraid to tell their wives they’re Republicans. Mr. Katz was followed by Jim Knott, founder of Riverdale Mills, whose epic battle against trumped up charges by the EPA was the subject of this 60 Minutes segment:

It’s exactly this sort of harassment of businesses by government that Gerry seeks to prevent. According to his website, he “believes his experience as a small business owner is critical to understanding the impact legislation will have on the life blood of our economy – small and medium sized businesses. He is a strong, fiscal conservative and believes that the free market, including businesses and individuals, will fuel our economic recovery – and that government's job is to facilitate and foster a business friendly environment, not to hinder prosperity with burdensome taxes and regulations.”

When it was his turn to talk, Gerry noted the historic nature of his district – the American Revolution began there. He believes the make-up of the district is favorable to the GOP. In the 2010 special Senate election, Scott Brown won Woburn, Billerica, and Burlington by greater than 60% – sufficient margin to offset the liberals in Arlington and Lexington. “This is a winnable race,” Gerry said. “We can take back our state. We can take back our country. We can take back the White House.”

You can learn more about Gerry at www.gerrydembrowski.com. As always, if you like what you see, I encourage you to be generous with your time and financial support.