Local business owner wants to be next mayor Says town should be run like a business

By RICK COLLINS
The Patriot Ledger

Although Paul Walsh has followed Braintree’s political scene for years, the extent of his involvement has been limited to a spot on the commercial traffic study committee.

Dissatisfied with the town’s direction and the current crop of candidates, the 52-year-old business owner now wants a spot in the town’s biggest political race ever: he’s running for mayor.

“I saw the candidates coming out, and its the same people that are responsible for the condition the town is in today,” said Walsh, a Howard Street resident. “The names are the same, they’re just changing the titles. This is not a true change in government.”

The other declared candidates for mayor so far are Joseph Powers, a selectman and former town clerk, town moderator and school committee member; Joseph Sullivan, a former selectman, state representative and state Lottery director; and Brian Muello, a licensed schoolteacher and petty officer in the Naval Reserves.

The election will be in November.

A graduate of Blue Hills Regional Technical High School, Walsh has lived in Braintree for 42 years. He is the owner/operator of Fab-Tech Services Inc., which repairs industrial machines and tools, and says he would bring a business mind-set to the mayor’s office.

“I don’t think the town needs another politician to run this community,” he said. “We need a businessman. That’s what the town is, a business, and it should be run that way.”

Walsh argues that the town needs to stop turning to taxpayers to solve its financial problems. He pledges to conduct a thorough audit of the town’s finances, and eliminate the trash fee, which he calls a “tax” and an “abomination.”

“We need to put the town on a financial diet,” he said. “[The town] comes back to us every year looking for more money. They don’t go through any cost-cutting measures or budgetary restraint. They just keep asking for more and more and more.”

Walsh, who is married with two grown children, said the town also needs to reduce traffic congestion throughout town, and clamp down on development, especially the construction of large single-family homes.

“I’ve been talking with neighbors and residents in town and they’re all fed up,” he said.

Walsh said he will soon unveil a more formal campaign platform on his Web site, www.walshforbraintree.com

Rick Collins may be reached at rcollins@ledger.com.