Wilmington Selectman Won't Take Donations In State Rep Race

WILMINGTON, MA -- Wilmington Selectman Michael McCoy, who is one of eight candidates running to represent Tewksbury and Wilmington in the state house of representatives, says he will not accept campaign contributions. In a letter to Patch and other media outlets, McCoy said its a policy he has adhered since entering local politics nearly three decades ago.

"When you take contributions from developers, realtors, and the power brokers, not to mention board members and politicians, there are typically expectations of campaign promises once the candidate is in office, usually not in the best interest of residents but rather those who stand to make money with certain votes," McCoy said. "The practice of paying for my own campaigns is one of the reasons I have been reelected over and over for 28 years--believe me, it's no easy task. There is a lot of resistance from the power behind the power because I call people and situations out. As a result, I've made enemies over the years, but luckily I've made far more friends."

In 2014, candidates for state representative in Massachusetts spent an average of $49,072 on their campaigns, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Only one of the candidates in this year's race -- Republican Pina Prinzivalli of Tewksbury -- has been in the long of the race long enough to have filed campaign finance reports.

In a year-end report for 2017, Prinzivalli had received 34 contributions for a total of $7,170. Prinzivalli has been running since last October, while all of the other candidates entered the race after incumbent James Miceli died in April. The next campaign finance reports for all candidates are due later this month.

McCoy's email also took a shot at the arms race among other candidates to collect endorsements big and small, and have those endorsements published by media outlets that are covering the race in Wilmington and Tewksbury. "Unlike my opponents, I am not seeking any financial contributions or big political name endorsements. The only endorsement I want on election day is yours -- the Tewksbury and Wilmington voters," McCoy wrote.

Absentee ballots are now available from each town's clerk for the primary on September 4. The winner of the Republican and Democrat elections will be on the general election ballot with independent Patricia Meuse of Tewksbury in November.

The following candidates are running in the September 4 primary:

Republicans

• Tewksbury Finance Committee member Erin Buckley (R-Tewksbury)
• Pina Prinzivalli (R-Tewksbury)

Democrats

• Wilmington Democratic Town Committee Chair Erika Johnson (D-Wilmington)
• Tewksbury Selectman Mark Kratman (D-Tewksbury)
• Wilmington Selectman Michael McCoy (D-Wilmington)
• Former Wilmington Selectwoman & School Committee member Judy O'Connell (D-Wilmington)
• Jim Miceli's Chief of Staff Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury)

Are you running to represent Tewksbury and Wilmington in the state legislature? Contact Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

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File photo submitted by Michael McCoy.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).