Republican says he supports Tea Party values and smaller government
While election season might’ve come to a close, Brian McGarry is already starting his campaign for Rotterdam Town Board Supervisor in next year’s election.
Last year McGarry ran on the No New Tax independent party line for the town supervisor position against the former supervisor Republican Steve Tommasone and current supervisor Democrat Frank Del Gallo. McGarry said he decided to announce his bid for supervisor after the tax district vote, because he is opposed to raising taxes on residents.
That was an issue that kind of galvanized me to run in the first place, said McGarry. `That was something that I thought was unnecessary and added another level of government and taxation that people at this time cannot afford.`
While McGarry does plan to run on the No New Tax line he founded, he hopes to garner support from Republicans and also appear on its line too. He thinks people are also in line with his views and on a national level the country is starting to change.
`Those national trends are now starting to be focused in on Rotterdam,` he said. `The message has been sent by people that they do not need any raises in their taxes.`
He is a supporter of the Tea Party values and creating a smaller government. The party he is also claims to have made him become a politician.
`The common thread is they think government is taking up too much of their life in every sense,` he said. `I was kind of born as a politician out of the Tea Party movement.`
Currently McGarry is employed as a sixth grade teacher for Duanesburg Central School District. He is also the owner of a photography business, which he has run 31 years.
He thought it was just time for him to take matters into his own hands.
`I am getting up off the couch and I am going to one up that and run for office a second time,` he said. `I thought the [budget] process was flawed, because it didn’t seem there was a real lot of time to reflect on the altered budget It seems to me like the five of them weren’t working together at the budget.`
While McGarry said it is a little early in the process to think about working with the current board or how could get elected, he believes he would be able to work with fellow board members. He does hope to form a strong independent line to get elected to the board.
`I would like to get a slate of candidates that are like minded and put together a slate of candidates that would in the best of worlds would appear on an [independent line] and would love to have other endorsements,` he said. `I was Conservative for 15 years and switched to the Republican Party last year.`
McGarry didn’t say anything negative about Del Gallo or any of the current board members in particular, but rather he wants to give voters the choice and present his ideas to see if they feel the same.
`I have very cordial relations with Frank Del Gallo and I think he is an honest and decent man,` said McGarry. `This was not something that he brought to the table when he first came in and I think it has been real challenging for him and I can see why.“
