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From newsman to newsmaker
Will Crocker's
campaign for
state rep seat
under way
By David Still II
dstill@barnstablepatriot.com
DAVID STILL II PHOTO
READY TO BE
HEARD - Will
Crocker of
Centerville
announces his
candidacy as
the Republican
challenger for
the Second
Barnstable
State
Representative
seat.
Former newsman Will
Crocker said that he's spent
enough time reporting what
other people have said needs
to be done for Cape Cod, and
now is the time for him to do
the talking.
Monday night, Crocker of-
ficially opened his campaign
as the Republican candidate
for the state representative
seat held for the last eight
years by Democrat Demetrius
Atsalis.
"I gave up my career to
tackle this challenge,"Crocker
said to a crowd of about 125
at Grilie 16 on Main Street
in Hyannis. "Not many other
political aspirants have to
make that choice. That'show
much this means to me and
how dedicated to this race I
am and the belief that now is
the time to act. "
Issues including home in-
surance, school funding and
the income tax rate were
folded into Crocker's speech.
As an award-winning speech
and debate coach at Silver
Lake Regional High School
in Kingston, Crocker's deliv-
ery was smooth, peaking at
practiced , but appropriate
moments.
Two years ago, the state
GOP coordinated a number
of campaign tactics gener-
ally received as negative and
attacking Democratic oppo-
nents. Crocker set the tone
early,indicatingthat he would
not follow that path.
The sole guaranteehe made
during the 10-minute speech
was that "we will have fun.
Not having fun will not be
allowed."
Theword"integrity"brought
Atsalis out of his election
hibernation two weeks ago,
approaching the Patriot with
a long-delayed letter from
the state Ethics Commission
regardinglast summer'smuch
publicized golf outing. The
ethics commission ended its
investigation into the matter
satisfiedthat no further action
was necessary.
Atsalissaid that he was con-
tent to let the issue sleep, but
when he heard Crocker talk
about restoring "integrity"to
the Second District, he felt the
need to respond.
"Show me where I have a
lack of integrity,"Atsalis said
in an interview two weeks
ago.
But Crocker was careful
not to personally slight the
incumbent directly on the
issue of integrity. Instead, it
was abroader volley at the full
Legislature for not following
through on "will of the voter"
issues, such as the roll back
of the state income tax to 5
percent.
"The first thing to change
is integrity," Crocker said.
"There is a great lack of that
on Beacon Hill. Lawmakers
pass ... or don't pass legisla-
tion, under the cover of dark-
ness, which greatly impacts
you. That must stop!"
Crocker drew the Cape 's
GOPheavies,includingcounty
Commissioner Mary LeClair,
who helped introduce him,
and former state Rep. Tom
George,
He was introduced first by
Town Republican Committee
chairman Bob Dwyer, then
LeClair, then a former speech
and debate/Youth Congress
student from Sillver Lake Re-
gional High School and finally
by his wife, Judy, who said
that honesty was one thing to
expect from her husband.
"He's definitely not the guy
to ask, 'Do I look fat in these
jeans?' because he'll give you
an honest answer everytime,"
she said, getting a good laugh
from attendees.
County Sheriff Jim Cum-
mings was not there, but
his right-hand man, Dave
Neal , was, clipboard and
nomination papers in hand.
Barnstable Fifth District Rep-
resentative Jeff Perrywas also
absent.
Also attending were Re-
publicans who will share
space with Crocker on the
fall ballot. Incumbent Clerk
of Courts Scott Nickerson
and Register of Deeds Jack
Meade mingled, as did Cape
and Islands state Senate chal-
lenger Rick Barros (who has
an opponent in Nantucket
Selectman Doug Bennett)
and First Barnstable Rep
challenger Dick Neitz, who
received the biggest applause
of any other candidate.
Two of the three GOP can-
didates to take on Atsalis in
the past were also present,
Anthony Alva and twice-
defeated Ann Canedy. Only
Larry Zalis, who faced Atslais
is a less vigorous campaign in
2000, was not in attendance.
Attending and wearing
Crocker stickers were town
council president Hank Farn-
ham and Hyannis councilor
Jim Munafo. Munafo is also a
past candidate for state rep,
but did not make it past the
primary.
Crocker covered all of these
people as a newsman for
Cape radio stations, includ-
ing WXTK and most recently
WQRC/WOCN. They now turn
from sources to supporters,
which is something Crocker
acknowledged he will need,
both to rally votes and to pay
for the effort.
Atsalis has filed his papers
and plans a May 15 kickoff.
I vLI 1IVjilL 1 U1 i v v lVlv
Murray honored by
autism group
Advocates for Autism of
Massachusetts has named
state Sen.Therese Murray one
of its legislators of the year.
Murray sawthat $1millionwas
included in the state budget
for a new autism division of
the Department of Mental
Retardation.
Uncivil times for civil
liberties?
U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt is
hosting an Emergency Town
Meeting to Restore the Rule
of Law April 20 at 7 p.m. at the
Redfield Auditorium of Woods
Hole Oceanographic Institu-
tion on Water Street. He'll be
joined by former Republican
Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia and
Carol Rose, director of the
state ACLU.
The event will focus "on
widespread spying on Ameri-
cans by the National Security
Agency,the Pentagon and the
FBI, kidnapping, torture , se-
cret prisons and anonymous-
ly-held detainees," according
to a press statement.
An earlier meeting sched-
uled for Cape Cod Community
College has been cancelled.
Patrick has apps for
Waquoit Bay jobs
Waquoit Bay National Es-
tuarine Research Reserve
in Falmouth has a variety of
summer positions open, and
state Rep. Matt Patrick says
his office has the necessary
forms to apply for same. Call
his office at 508-540-6308 or go
to www.waquoitbayreserve.
or/employ.htm
Parent access to
records backed
State Sen. Rob O'Leary,the
lead sponsor of an initiative to
allownon-custodialparentsac-
cess to their children's school
records , is waiting for Gov.
Romney to sign his bill after
approval by the Legislature.
Perry to DC for
academic freedom
conference
State Rep. Jeff Perry was in
Washington, D.C., recently to
attend the first NationalAca-
demic Freedom Conference,
which featured discussions
about an "Academic Bill of
Rights" to encourage politi-
cal diversity at colleges and
universities.
A Happy Easter
Alternatte!
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If there was any doubt
about who would be the
Republican candidate
for Barnstable's Second
District (and there wasn't
much), Centerville's Will
Crocker put that to rest
Monday evening.
A smallitem published
in this paper last month
speculated that restau-
rateur Rick Angelini, for-
merly of Naked Oyster
and now solely of Grille
16, was considering a bid
for public office. That was
sourced to the Barnstable
Town Clerk'soffice,where
Angelini did in fact take
out nominationpapers for
that seat.
Those papers, it turns
out, were for Crocker.
Monday'skick-off event
for Crocker was hosted by
Angelini at his Grille 16
restaurant onMainStreet
in Hyannis.
DS II
dstill@barnstablepatriot.com
Let there be
no doubt,
there's only
one GOP
candidate
Technical problems...
EDWARD F MARONEY PHOTO
IF LOOKS COULD KILL - Bethann Orr, director of educational
technology for the Barnstable schools, eyes a 9-year-old computer
that would make a better anchor.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A:1
The future looked con-
siderably brighter a few
months ago as the adminis-
tration prepared its budget
for the year beginning July
1. Orr had requested about
$400,000.
"Until we got hit with (ma-
jor utility rate increases),
we were looking at trying to
do that," said interim Supt.
Tom McDonald. "That went
from 400 to zero in about 45
minutes. We're struggling
to go from zero to get back
up there."
Orr and McDonald met
this week to discuss strat-
egy.They want to find a way
to switch from purchasing
computers that willbecome
obsolete to aleasingarrange-
ment that will allow regular
upgrades every three to four
years.
"Youcanlease three times
the computers for one-third
the money," McDonald
said.
At last week'sschool com-
mittee meeting, members
were vocal in their support
for Orr. Vice chairman Pat
Murphy, who also serves as
president of the board of
the Cape Cod Technology
Council, praised Orr for her
"dedication to this district
and its children" evidenced
in her continued efforts to
hold things together.
Member David Lawler
called Barnstable 's state
ranking "pathetic,"and said
theschoolshaveto find away
to stop making technology
the "sacrificial lamb."
Orr and McDonald will
meet again after school
vacation.
Before we shut down ,
here's one more fact: The
state average for technology
spendingper pupilis$286. In
Barnstable, it's $43.
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