Meanwhile, the substitute teacher provided YourArlington with the following statement Feb. 6 after his third-place finish:

"Running for office has been a rewarding experience. The people of Arlington and Medford have been kind and respectful. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to have my ideas compete in the arena of ideas.  I would also like to thank everyone who voted for me. I plan to stay active in politics and hope people will consider me again in the future.

"I believe Sean Garballey is destined for great things. Sean shows maturity and wisdom well beyond his age. Arlington/West Medford will benefit from picking a young candidate who comes into the role with a youthful vigor. I look forward to following his tenure.  

"Jeff Thielman’s candidacy has been an inspirational story. Jeff has great drive and determination and could have applied these to any number of business enterprises. But instead Jeff decided to devote his life to public service. When a person runs for public office they open themselves up to criticism and even a bit of public humiliation.  For Jeff, these negative experiences appear to be the fuel for self-improvement and success

"It is my belief that a convergence of significant political events is going to provide serious challenges to politicians on the local, state, and federal levels. I believe if Sean Garballey is elected to the 23rd Middlesex State Representative’s seat, he will work hard to see us through these economically challenging times. I consider it a privilege to have competed against him and now look forward to endorsing him in the general election on March 4th."      

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Guest User  - Comment on O'Brien   |18.18.6.xxx |2008-02-08 10:00:16 He does sound very thoughtful, maybe he will run for School Committee? Reply | Quote 0   0

Robert Fisher  - O'Brien   |140.247.236.xxx |2008-02-08 11:16:21 It’s a shame people pay more attention to style than to candidates’ positions on the issues. I attended the candidate forum in Arlington, and while it was clear that O’Brien was less “polished” (i.e., rehearsed) than the other Dems, it was also clear that his responses to the questions were far more thoughtful, bold, and imaginative than the others’. O’Brien was the only candidate to warn that we face some difficult decisions, but he had only a limited opportunity to elaborate on them given the same-old pandering that came to dominate the evening. Running for elected office is not just telling people what they want to hear. Unfortunately only O’Brien had the courage to try to address those issues, instead of harping on some vague (and dubious) credentials. I hope O’Brien stays in local politics, and that next time people listen more carefully to his positions and worry less about presentation. Reply | Quote 0   0

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