To the editor:

On January 5, Senate District 11 voters in Tiverton, Bristol and Portsmouth will choose between Democrat Jim Seveney, who has proven his willingness and ability to work on behalf of voters during his time in public office; Independent Gregory Blythe, and Republican John Pagliarini.  The Tiverton Democratic Town Committee (TDTC) recently voted to support Jim Seveney because we believe he is the only candidate who has the knowledge, temperament and experience to ensure the needs of our three towns are championed and met effectively.

The choice is clear.  Mr. Blythe has been non-existent throughout the race so we assume he is not a serious candidate.  While we respect that one doesn’t have to be from the area to effectively represent our towns, when viewed in the context of the whole candidate, Mr. Seveney’s deep roots in Portsmouth and connections to Tiverton and Bristol are a key positive for him.  Mr. Pagliarini is originally from Scituate and moved to Tiverton only recently.

Mr. Seveney has been elected to public office in Portsmouth eight times, serving four years on the School Committee and 10 years on the Town Council, two as president.  His military and private industry background are positive assets he will bring to the table to fight for the issues facing our towns, including ensuring economic growth that fits the characters of our communities.

While he has never held public office, Mr. Pagliarini believes he is the most “prepared” person to be the next District 11 senator because of his campaign experience.  What has he done?  In 2000 he ran for the West Warwick Town Council and lost.  He ran for lieutenant governor in 2002 on the Republican ticket, entering at the last minute to fill in for the endorsed Republican candidate who had been sentenced for criminal fraud. He was trounced in the general election.  In 2008, as a resident of East Greenwich, he ran for Senate District 35 and lost.  Now in 2015, having circumnavigated the state to try to find somewhere he thinks he can win, he settled in Tiverton and, as the Republican candidate for Senate District 11, believes he magically understands our area and therefore wants your vote.  He says he decided to run after he “looked at” the other candidates — which originally included one former state representative, three current town councilors and one former town councilor—and determined (wrongly) that they only have “knowledge of local issues.”

As Tip O’Neill famously said, “all politics is local.”  Jim Seveney was born and raised in Portsmouth.  The voters have elected Jim to public office eight separate times. He has served the town with dedication and distinction for the past 15 years.  Jim is — by far — the best person to serve as the next senator for District 11. The TDTC urges all District 11 voters to turn out to vote at the special election on Tuesday, January 5 and to cast your votes for Jim Seveney.

Mike Burk

Chairman, Tiverton Democratic Town Committee