Conservative Candidates Promote Campaigns in Park Square
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With less than a week until election day, Republican congressional candidate Dean Martilli stood out in Park Square with a small group of supporters on Wednesday.
"The main thing that I've heard since we've started the campaign is that people want change," he said.
"They want change in their government and they want leadership. They want someone or people that are going to stand up for the people that voted them into office. I'm hearing it still today."
Martilli is challenging the incumbent in the 1st Massachusetts District, Democrat Richard Neal, who has served in Congress for more than 30 years and is the chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
He said residents have been voicing concerns about the rising costs of gas and food.
"It's really tough on working families and everything else to make choices and then when you look at your retirement funds or any money that people are putting into 401ks, they're losing dramatically," the West Springfield candidate said.
"So it's just a bad economy and for the Democrats, they have to own up to [it]. They caused this problem and they can't run from it."
If elected, Martilli intends to work with other members of Congress to first open up oil production in the country, which he said needs to be addressed right away.
He also wants to work on closing the Southern border and bringing manufacturing — specifically in pharmaceuticals — back into the region.
"We've been working hard, we're listening to people and what I tell people is when I get there, I will not forget them," Martilli said.
"They're the people that sent me to Washington to do a job for the region, District One, and I won't forget that."
Martilli is owner of Martilli and Associates, a government affairs and business development consulting group.
He was joined at the park by Brendan Phair, who is running as an independent candidate for state Senate against former state Rep. Paul Mark though he has been campaigning with Republican candidates.
Phair, a paraprofessional at Taconic High School, said his campaign has been going very well and he is getting a good response from voters.
Last week, he participated in a debate with Mark that was hosted by Pittsfield Community Television and iBerkshires.com.
During the debate, the two were asked about their stance on Governor Baker's executive order to further protect reproductive health access and gender-affirming care in the wake of the Supreme Court overriding Roe v Wade,
Phair, who describes himself as "pro-life," spoke against the bill and on Wednesday added that he is also against pharmacists giving a chemical abortion pill without a doctor's order.
Pittsfield resident Elaine McNabb was happy to see Martilli come to the Berkshires, saying that many politicians do not. She also said she heard great things about Phair.
"I feel the same about both candidates," McNabb added.
"There are issues that are so important to me, inflation, the border, crime, just issues that need to be addressed and I really think we need some strong leadership to do it."
The event was organized by the Berkshire County Republican Association.
"I'm hoping that there will be a change," the Republican association's Kathryn Mickle said.
"'Be the change' is one of my slogans and 'Silent no more.' There is just so many things that are going on in this country and I think that if we continue on in the same route, nothing is going to change."
Tags: campaign event, election 2022, Republican Party,
