Sunday, November 5th - Help Us Party and Get the
Word Out.
Calling all Volunteers!
Help us party and get the word out.
Dave's volunteers are going door to door with hand-outs
on the Sunday before the election, Sunday November 5
th. We will meet at the Gazebo at 1 PM for a pep rally
with donuts and cider. The Gazebo is at the corner
of Pleasant and Main Street.
Street assignments will be given out
and we'll finish with a party, bon fire, pizza and soft
drinks at Dave's House.
All are invited. Let's have fun.
Atkinson's latest twist: Vermont GOP
By ERIC WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
David Atkinson, hemp-loving nudist, tree surgeon, extoller
of the virtues of civil disobedience and former Provincetown
selectman, has somehow ended up running for the Vermont
House of Representatives as a Republican.
This peculiar twist in the fabric of the universe has
humble, almost Huck Finn-ish origins: ''The Republicans
couldn't find anyone to run, so they advertised for
candidates,'' said Atkinson, reached by phone at his
Braintree, Vt., home. ''I was walking in Randolph (Vt.)
one day and I saw an ad for candidates on a bulletin
board and I called them up.''
Amazingly, Atkinson - who once proposed raffling off
a pound of marijuana to fund a Cape campaign - advanced
to the general election with a Republican primary win
over a candidate who was hobbled by a Southern accent,
said Mary Daly, Orange County (Vt.) chairwoman of the
state Republican Party.
''From a personal perspective, I would be extremely
surprised if David does much in the general election,''
said Daly. ''He's a little far out there.
''Some of his history issues - the hemp and the nude
beaches and the whole nine yards - doesn't play well
in this part of Vermont,'' said Daly. ''It's a pretty
conservative area.''
But Daly and Atkinson said there were issues where
Republicans and Libertarians - Atkinson's party of choice
- were on the same page. ''Many Vermonters are for small
government, and David believes in that,'' said Daly.
''We do share a lot,'' said Atkinson, who said he will
be listed as a Libertarian/Republican on the ballot.
''Libertarians are fiscally conservative, but socially
liberal - so we agree on the Democrats on social issues
and we agree with the Republicans on financial issues.''
Of course there are a few, ahem, minor differences
between Atkinson and Republicans. Like views on President
Bush, for instance. ''I don't think he's an idiot, but
I think he's dangerous,'' said Atkinson. ''And if we
survive two more years of him, as a country, we'll be
lucky.''
And of course, the hemp issue. ''Republicans probably
wouldn't touch growing hemp with a 10-foot pole,'' said
Atkinson. ''I brought that up at a candidates' forum
recently.
''Look, the farmers are struggling here because milk
prices are so erratic. Let them grow hemp, for clothing
and fabric.''
What about for smoking?
''If some of it got used for that, so what,'' said
Atkinson.
Atkinson migrated to Vermont after a 14-year stint
at the Cape-tip, during which he won two terms as selectman,
advocated for nude beach rights and a lower drinking
age, and pronounced July 3, 1999, as ''Free the Seed
Day,'' urging citizens to plant hemp seeds on public
property.
While such high-jinks fueled his reputation as ''Disobedient
Dave,'' Atkinson's good humor and honesty were appreciated
by Provincetown officials during his time here.
''I would sum up my experience with David as: What
you see is what you get,'' said Cheryl Andrews, chairwoman
of the Provincetown selectmen, who served on the board
with Atkinson. ''No hidden agenda. He tells the truth
and you don't have to read between the lines and guess
what he's trying to do. And I think that's a remarkable
quality in an elected official.''
If Atkinson triumphs in the Green Mountain state, his
reward will be a 16-week-a-year gig under the gold dome
in Montpelier. Vermont state legislators earn the princely
sum of $600 per week when in session.
And what will Atkinson deliver to voters for all
that dough?
''I will always respect the sovereignty of the individual,''
he said.
Eric Williams can be reached at ewilliams@capecodonline.com.
(Published: October 16, 2006)
October Fundraiser Cocktail Party
David will be holding a Fun-raising event in October.
Here's the details as best as I know them:
Location: Three Stallion Inn, Stock
Farm Road, Randolph
Date: Oct 18, 2006
Time: 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Tickets: $15
Description:
Casual meet the candidate gathering with appetizers,
sweets, and coffee. Door prizes including a framed and
signed print of an original watercolor landscape by
renowned Vermont artist Bunny Harvey. Ms. Harvey will
be on hand in support of Dave and to sign the winner's
print.
About Bunny Harvey:
Bunny Harvey has been a part time resident of Randolph
Center since 1949 when her parents first came to Vermont.
A Rome Prize winner, Bunny has exhibited widely,
both nationally and internationally, with works in public
and private collections. She is represented exclusively
by Berry-Hill Galleries, in NYC and has taught painting
at Wellesley College in Massachusetts for thirty years.
She now lives and paints in Tunbridge, where the
natural landscape of Vermont has been the starting point
for many of her works. One critic has described
these paintings as attempts “to discover
the essence of the place....with a dreamlike quality
that make them seem more like landscapes of the mind,
rather than actual places..”
For additional information call: 802-728-6598
Buy your tickets online below:
Republican Liberty Caucus Unanimously Supports David
Atkinson
You can find the more information on the endorsement online
at www.rlc.org
David Atkinson Wins Republican Primary
Click
here to read the article in the Randolph Herald
regarding the primary election.
Vermont Libertarian Party Endorses David Atkinson
for State House
Click
here to read the press release from the VTLP.
Atkinson Enters Vermont State
Representative Race
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David Atkinson, 802-728-6598, atkinsontreeman@innevi.com
Atkinson Enters Vermont State Representative Race
July 28, 2006 David Atkinson of Braintree this week
announced his candidacy for the Vermont House of Representatives
in the Orange-Addison-1 District, which includes the
towns of Braintree, Brookfield, Granville and Randolph.
He said the focus of his campaign will be to address
the growing cost of government on working families
and small businesses by reducing taxes and burdensome
regulation, to advocate the development of green energy
sources such as wind, solar, and hydro, and to promote
the restoration of local decision making powers in
the education of our children.
Atkinson, age 65, has extensive experience in town
government politics and has served on numerous committees
and boards, most recently as a two-term member of
the Provincetown (MA) Select Board.
"My desire to serve is driven by my concern for small
businesses and working families in Vermont," Atkinson
said. "When you are concerned about the continued
quality of life in our diverse community, you have
to be aware of the growing cost of government."
Citing the fragility of the current economic climate
in Vermont, Atkinson continued, "We need to increase
opportunities for small business, not opportunities
for governmental expansion. When we begin to reverse
decades of uncontrolled government growth, more productive
jobs will be created; productive jobs that pay livable
wages, make health care more affordable, reduce threats
to our environment and improve the quality of education
for our children."
While serving as an elected official, Atkinson was
as close as the phone when citizens needed answers.
"Vermont is a wonderful place to live and raise a
family. We are blessed to have such a diversity of
towns and villages, each a place with true community
spirit. The quality of life we enjoy comes from our
diversity, our community spirit and our willingness
to help each other." Atkinson concluded.
Atkinson has deep roots in Vermont, first moving
to the state in 1981. He purchased his current Braintree
home in 1997. Since 1990, he has owned and operated
Picture Perfect Tree Surgery.
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